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Portland Mayor Keith Wilson mandated Thursday that the city edit its language to eliminate any mention of race and gender preferences from about 75 programs and policies in order to keep the $349 million in federal funds it currently manages.
The mayor’s executive order, the first he’s issued since taking office in January, complies with a directive from the Trump administration that cities remove diversity, equity and inclusion goals from all programs or expect federal funding to be revoked.
“Although this decision has been challenging, it is in the best interest of Portlanders,” the mayor wrote in a letter to organizations that contract with the city. “Losing federal funding would harm the very people that many of our city programs are designed to help.”
Wilson stopped short of ordering the removal of DEI language from city programs, or eliminating equity officers from city bureaus. It does not appear, based on the language in his order, that the city will eliminate its Office of Equity and Human Rights, for example.
“Some jurisdictions and organizations have gone so far as to purge some, or all, of their references to diversity, equity, and inclusion, including eliminating DEI offices and equity-focused jobs,” Wilson wrote in his letter. “We think this goes too far.”
Instead, under Wilson’s order, all Portland city business—even initiatives that don’t use federal money—must conform to federal civil rights and nondiscrimination laws.
In an executive order that set off Wilson’s dilemma, President Donald Trump required that recipients of federal funds harbor no programs that fund projects based on gender and race. That order set off intense conversations at Portland City Hall, including an executive session in which city councilors considered a menu of unpalatable choices.
The city has signed on to litigation pursued by King County, Wash., challenging the legality of Trump’s order. But that case is still in the courts, and the deadline for complying is tomorrow.
The money at stake is well known: The city must adjust programs by August to receive $31 million in new federal grants. Of the $349 million it currently manages, about 90% of federal money pays for transportation and housing projects.
It has never been clear, however, how many city programs choose their beneficiaries based on protected class status—that is, preferences for women, sexual minorities and people of color. So what the city is giving up to keep $349 million remains something of a mystery.
The city said some changes to programs could be as simple as signaling that a program serves “all Portlanders.” In his letter to community partners, Wilson wrote that the decision by other government bodies—including Washington County and the Port of Portland—to remove some or all equity-based language and DEI offices was too much of a capitulation.
“For the small subset of programs and policies that need to change, we will build upon existing equity strategies and practices to serve Portland in a manner consistent with our values,” the mayor wrote in his letter.
The city’s press release says the executive order will not end “most” equity initiatives and city communications will still include DEI-based language. The mayor also affirmed that Portland will continue to prioritize disadvantaged groups.
“In Portland, we believe in diversity, we believe in equity, and we believe in inclusion. We say those words proudly,” Wilson said.
