Justice Department to Use False Claims Act to Target DEI Policies (1)

The Trump administration wants to use the False Claims Act, a law meant to target fraud by government contractors and federal-funding recipients, as a tool to target universities and other private institutions over their diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.

The Justice Department said Monday that the new initiative would utilize the law to go after any institution “knowingly” violating federal civil rights laws despite certifying its compliance with such statutes.

The department cited DEI programs from federal contractors and alleged antisemitism on university campuses as potential areas where the False Claims Act could be implicated.

The effort is part of ...