Ted Cruz urges White House to halt $1.25B in 'digital equity' funds

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is urging the Biden medication to halt a $1.25 cardinal "Digital Equity" program, calling it unconstitutional for utilizing race-based criteria to grow broadband access.

"I impulse you to retreat the unlawful [Notice of Funding Opportunity] NOFO and halt issuing Program grants earlier you origin existent harm," Cruz wrote to Alan Davidson, the adjunct caput of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Thursday morning. "NTIA’s usage of radical classifications, arsenic acceptable distant successful the NOFO, does not service a compelling governmental interest."

The missive comes arsenic Republicans propulsion backmost against diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives arsenic they cogwheel up for the incoming Trump administration. Under the soon-to-be Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, specified programs similar the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program could beryllium examined arsenic authorities waste.

"Any root of authorities discarded is successful scope for DOGE," a Ramaswamy spokesperson told Fox News Digital. 

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Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, connected Capitol Hill connected Tuesday, March 12, 2024 successful Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

The missive criticizes NTIA's guidance for the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program, as Cruz claims it violates the Fifth Amendment's Due Process Clause, lacking grounds of radical favoritism successful net entree and failing to supply wide metrics for its race-based criteria.

The programme was a cardinal inaugural nether the Digital Equity Act, which was authorized by President Biden's Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. It is the 3rd of 3 integer equity programs established by the act.

Cruz asserts that the programme requires assistance applicants to prioritize "Covered Populations," a class that explicitly includes radical and taste minorities successful the program. He argued the attack includes impermissible radical discrimination, arguing that the national authorities cannot usage radical classifications without demonstrating a compelling involvement and "narrowly tailored" measures. 

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President-elect Donald Trump announced Elon Musk, left, and Vivek Ramaswamy, right, would beryllium starring the Department of Government Efficiency connected Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (Getty Images)

"The NOFO provides nary grounds radical minorities look favoritism successful accessing the internet, fto unsocial circumstantial instances of favoritism that NTIA is seeking to address," Cruz wrote. "And it does not effort to marque immoderate assertion that this favoritism is indispensable to debar a situation contention riot."

Cruz added that "the NOFO does not specify 'minority,' making it intolerable to find whether it is underinclusive, but successful immoderate event, it is overinclusive due to the fact that it includes anyone who falls into immoderate radical group, without immoderate determination that that circumstantial radical has faced favoritism successful entree to broadband."

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Congress is racing to beryllium acceptable to execute the recommendations of President-elect Donald Trump's caller DOGE commission. (Getty Images)

Cruz, the ranking subordinate of the Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee, urged the NTIA to respond by Dec. 12, either by confirming the withdrawal of the guidance oregon by providing a elaborate mentation of however it complies with law requirements.

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Fox News Digital has reached retired to the NTIA for comment.