Response Center

DOJ retaliates against the American Bar Association because of positions it has taken on policy and legal issues.

The American Bar Association (ABA) is the nation's largest voluntary legal organization. Among other things, the ABA runs programs supported by federal funds awarded by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to increase access to justice for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. This DOJ memo sought to terminate these grants in retaliation for the ABA filing a lawsuit against the United States and purportedly supporting activist causes. The memo also prohibited DOJ attorneys from participating in ABA events and ended any financial support for such involvement.

The Department canceled millions in funds for training teachers because of material on "divisive ideologies."

Agency announced a termination in $600 million of already awarded grants used for teacher preparation because the programs included materials about racism, bias, equity and/or cultural competence. This occurred outside of the process for changing federal grant priorities. It will contribute to the ongoing nationwide teacher shortage.

The Department of Education prevented student loan borrowers from applying for all income-driven repayment plans after the Eighth Circuit put one of those plans on hold.

In February 2025, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision pausing the entire SAVE income-driven repayment (IDR) plan for student loans. The Biden-Harris administration introduced the SAVE Plan in 2023 as the most affordable option for borrowers seeking to have their payments reduced and their loans ultimately forgiven. Three days after the Eighth Circuit's decision, the Trump administration paused all IDR plan applications, including ones not affected by the Eighth Circuit's decision, and directed student loan servicers not to process existing IDR applications. Because borrowers must be enrolled in an IDR plan to qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness, this drastic decision also jeopardized the ability of teachers, nurses, first responders, and other public servants to receive forgiveness after ten years of qualifying payments. One week after a national teachers' union filed a lawsuit to revive IDR plan application processing, the Department of Education filed a notice with the court stating that it had reopened the IDR online application and was coordinating with student loan servicers to resume processing IDR applications.

The National Science Foundation seeks to cut the amount of "indirect costs" funding that research institutions receive for facilities, equipment, and personnel.

This guidance caps the amount of "indirect costs" funding that universities and other research institutions receive at 15% of their "direct costs" amount. Until now, scientific and engineering research institutions might receive 50% or more in indirect costs funding, which supports building and laboratory maintenance, equipment upkeep costs, accounting, and researcher compensation. The guidance will severely limit the ability of universities and other grant recipients to carry out vital and cutting edge scientific research. Small institutions, including historically Black colleges and universities, may be especially likely to shutter research initiatives if they cannot access alternate funding in their budgets to cover indirect costs. America will lose its edge as a leader in research procedures and delivering results that positively impact scientific and engineering outcomes globally. This policy is similar to indirect cost rate caps that the Trump administration tried to impose at the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Energy earlier in 2025.

The order promotes the militarization of local law enforcement and decreases accountability for officer misconduct.

This EO directs the Attorney General to work on creating resources for law enforcement officers accused of misconduct and on rethinking civil rights consent decrees holding local law enforcement accountable for crimes committed while in uniform. It also directs the Secretary of Defense to produce a report on how to use military assets for local policing, along with continuing the Trump administration's attacks on policies supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion. Taken together, this EO stands to harm over-policed communities, undo civil rights protections, and undermine local governments.

This order cuts funding to provide government-appointed counsel to noncitizens in immigration proceedings who are deemed mentally imcompetent.

The Department of Justice abruptly terminated grants to a number of legal services organizations who provide free immigration counsel to noncitizens who are deemed mentally incompetent. DOJ claimed that it was terminating these grants "for convenience." It maintained only grants that were required by the settlement in Franco-Gonzalez v. Holder, Case No. 10-02211 DMG (C.D. Cal.), and terminated the rest.