- President Trump is banning federal agencies from conducting workplace trainings on race.
- In a memo sent to federal agencies on Friday, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought wrote that the president believes these trainings are "divisive, anti-American propaganda."
- It's unclear whether these trainings exist or preach that "virtually all White people contribute to
racism ," as the memo states.
President
In a Friday memo, Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, said that "it has come to the President's attention that the Executive Branch agencies have spent millions of taxpayer dollars to date" on such training.
Vought said press reports have shown that "employees across the Executive Branch have been required to attend trainings where they are told that 'virtually all White people contribute to racism' or whether they are required to say that they 'benefit from racism.'"
Vought does not cite which specific press reports made these claims and it's not clear to what extent such training programs exist in the federal government.
Vought directs federal agencies to identify all spending on "un-American propaganda training sessions" and cancel or divert the funding.
"The President, and his Administration, are fully committed to the fair and equal treatment of all individuals in the United States," Vought says in the memo. "The President has a proven track record of standing for those whose voice has long been ignored and who have failed to benefit from all our country has to offer, and he intends to continue to support all Americans, regardless of race, religion, or creed."
"The divisive, false, and demeaning propaganda of the critical race theory movement is contrary to all we stand for as Americans and should have no place in the federal government."
The memo comes two months ahead of the November presidential election and appears to be an attempt to excite his base. In the wake of months of Black Lives Matter protests, the president has said that the country is in the middle of a "culture war" and denied systemic racism in America.
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