Taxpayer-Funded Intersectionality: $230M in Federal Grants Embed Identity Politics in Public Programs

A joint report by the Defense of Freedom Institute and Legal Insurrection Foundation reveals that the federal government obligated approximately $230 million across 249 assistance records referencing 'intersectionality,' an ideological framework prioritizing overlapping group identities such as race, gender, class, and privilege to assess discrimination and allocate resources. About $140 million has been disbursed, with $90 million still obligated, much of it originating or peaking under the Biden administration at $80.1 million in 2023 before declining under President Trump. The data, drawn from USAspending.gov, shows grants spanning health research, university programs, and community initiatives, with some extending through 2030 and roughly 100 awards remaining active. Examples include nearly $11 million to the New Hampshire Department of Health for cancer prevention targeting 'intersectionality of gender and income inequality,' $8.16 million to New York University for diabetes equity research, and $14.25 million to Drexel University for increasing diversity among faculty studying health disparities. This funding occurs amid broader Trump administration efforts to eliminate DEI from federal grantmaking, including a May 2026 OMB proposed rule and executive orders promoting merit-based criteria. Critics argue intersectionality functions as a rebranded mechanism for identity-based preferences, potentially undermining equal protection by disguising race-conscious decisions in academic terminology. The report connects this to prior LIF/DFI analysis of intersectionality's role in campus activism and institutional change, warning of risks to fiscal accountability and public trust when taxpayer dollars advance contested ideological frameworks rather than neutral public needs. Related analyses, such as Parents Defending Education's findings on over $1 billion in Biden-era Education Department DEI grants, underscore patterns of ideological embedding in federal spending that extend beyond isolated cases.