{"id":135273,"date":"2025-10-17T06:10:40","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T14:10:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/10\/17\/trump-sued-again-for-illegally-destroying-the-digital-equity-act-and-a-bunch-of-useful-programs-that-helped-his-own-supporters\/"},"modified":"2025-10-17T06:10:40","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T14:10:40","slug":"trump-sued-again-for-illegally-destroying-the-digital-equity-act-and-a-bunch-of-useful-programs-that-helped-his-own-supporters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/10\/17\/trump-sued-again-for-illegally-destroying-the-digital-equity-act-and-a-bunch-of-useful-programs-that-helped-his-own-supporters\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump Sued Again For Illegally Destroying The Digital Equity Act (And A Bunch Of Useful Programs That Helped His Own Supporters)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Back in May\u00a0we noted how<\/a>\u00a0Trump illegally declared he was unilaterally destroying the $2.75 billion\u00a0Digital Equity Act<\/a>, lying repeatedly that the law was \u201cracist\u201d and \u201cunconstitutional.\u201d The\u00a0law<\/strong>, passed as part of the infrastructure bill, was slated to bring millions in new broadband grants and digital literacy tools, education, and training to Americans (of all kinds).<\/p>\n

The bill helped everybody (including Trump-supporting rural veterans and rural residents), but because Trump\u2019s team seemed to assume that the word equity meant \u201chelp minorities,\u201d the program was the brutal victim of our mad, incoherent, con man king and his army of mindless earlobe nibblers.<\/p>\n

Back in June, a coalition of 20 states\u00a0sued the Trump administration<\/a>, correctly stating that it\u2019s illegal for the administration to unilaterally dismantle an act of Congress and freeze and repurpose funding that had already been allotted. That case is winding through the court system, but the damage has already been done to countless traditionally underfunded programs and organizations that had\u00a0been told they were getting the money<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This week the National Digital Inclusivity Alliance (NDIA)\u00a0filed another lawsuit against the government<\/a>, again (correctly)\u00a0noting<\/a>\u00a0that the freezing of the funds is illegal and violates the separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches as outlined in the Constitution.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The NDIA was poised to receive one of the biggest chunks of Act funding; a $25.7 million grant it was going to use to help connect people to the Internet via 13 programs across 11 states. Not only via direct access to affordable physical equipment, but digital literacy training for seniors and vets to gain access to online education, health care, and other essential services:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cNDIA is taking the extraordinary step of suing the federal government for the 30,000 people who were counting on our Digital Navigator + program to help guide them through submitting job applications, accessing telehealth, attending classes, and staying safe online. Thousands more across the country stood to benefit from Digital Equity Act grants through other trusted community organizations. Let\u2019s be very clear, the Digital Equity Act is not unconstitutional nor racist, it passed with overwhelming bipartisan support to ensure the United States can compete in today\u2019s modern economy.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

There\u2019s a long list of groups that were also planning to use this funding to help their communities navigate things like the rising number of online scams that\u00a0tend to disproportionately target the elderly<\/a>. They\u2019re all now shit out of luck because of a bunch of weird racist zealots (who like to pretend they\u2019re saving taxpayer money with one hand, while\u00a0setting it on fire with the other<\/a>).<\/p>\n

A driving motivation behind these attacks on online equity isn\u2019t \u201csaving money,\u201d it\u2019s dismantling government efforts to do anything about the problems created by\u00a0consolidated corporate power<\/strong>. That means\u00a0lobotomizing the FCC<\/a>. It means\u00a0killing programs that gave school kids free Wi-Fi<\/a>. It means undermining efforts to protect U.S. citizens (in red or blue states alike) from\u00a0fraud and robocall hell<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Trump continues to insist his random-ass butchery of government is only \u201cimpacting Democrats\u201d:<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

After bragging about permanently cutting “Democrat programs,” Trump says “we’re not closing up Republican programs.”<\/p>\n

\u2014 Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)<\/a> 2025-10-14T18:55:48.026Z<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

I\u2019m not sure whose going to correct the misconceptions of freshly-fucked Trump supporters in red states, since\u00a0Republicans also effectively lobotomized whatever was left of local news<\/a>\u00a0via a frontal assault on media consolidation limits.<\/p>\n

I was not previously aware that the President of the United States could unilaterally destroy an act of Congress, freeze funding for beneficial bipartisan programs, lie about the impact repeatedly, and face absolutely zero repercussions whatsoever. Consider me properly informed.<\/p>\n

ndia-v-trump-complaint<\/a>Download<\/a><\/div>\n

Trump Sued Again For Illegally Destroying The Digital Equity Act (And A Bunch Of Useful Programs That Helped His Own Supporters)<\/a><\/p>\n

More Law-Related Stories From Techdirt:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Against The New Feudalism Of Algorithms And Oligarchs<\/a>
Vance\u2019s Double Standard: Nazi Jokes Are \u201cKids Being Kids,\u201d But Mocking Charlie Kirk Gets Your Visa Revoked<\/a>
New York City Sues Instagram Rather Than Teach Kids Filters Aren\u2019t Real<\/a><\/p>\n

The post Trump Sued Again For Illegally Destroying The Digital Equity Act (And A Bunch Of Useful Programs That Helped His Own Supporters)<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(Photo by MANDEL NGAN\/AFP via Getty Images)\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Back in May\u00a0we noted how<\/a>\u00a0Trump illegally declared he was unilaterally destroying the $2.75 billion\u00a0Digital Equity Act<\/a>, lying repeatedly that the law was \u201cracist\u201d and \u201cunconstitutional.\u201d The\u00a0law<\/strong>, passed as part of the infrastructure bill, was slated to bring millions in new broadband grants and digital literacy tools, education, and training to Americans (of all kinds).<\/p>\n

The bill helped everybody (including Trump-supporting rural veterans and rural residents), but because Trump\u2019s team seemed to assume that the word equity meant \u201chelp minorities,\u201d the program was the brutal victim of our mad, incoherent, con man king and his army of mindless earlobe nibblers.<\/p>\n

Back in June, a coalition of 20 states\u00a0sued the Trump administration<\/a>, correctly stating that it\u2019s illegal for the administration to unilaterally dismantle an act of Congress and freeze and repurpose funding that had already been allotted. That case is winding through the court system, but the damage has already been done to countless traditionally underfunded programs and organizations that had\u00a0been told they were getting the money<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This week the National Digital Inclusivity Alliance (NDIA)\u00a0filed another lawsuit against the government<\/a>, again (correctly)\u00a0noting<\/a>\u00a0that the freezing of the funds is illegal and violates the separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches as outlined in the Constitution.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The NDIA was poised to receive one of the biggest chunks of Act funding; a $25.7 million grant it was going to use to help connect people to the Internet via 13 programs across 11 states. Not only via direct access to affordable physical equipment, but digital literacy training for seniors and vets to gain access to online education, health care, and other essential services:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cNDIA is taking the extraordinary step of suing the federal government for the 30,000 people who were counting on our Digital Navigator + program to help guide them through submitting job applications, accessing telehealth, attending classes, and staying safe online. Thousands more across the country stood to benefit from Digital Equity Act grants through other trusted community organizations. Let\u2019s be very clear, the Digital Equity Act is not unconstitutional nor racist, it passed with overwhelming bipartisan support to ensure the United States can compete in today\u2019s modern economy.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

There\u2019s a long list of groups that were also planning to use this funding to help their communities navigate things like the rising number of online scams that\u00a0tend to disproportionately target the elderly<\/a>. They\u2019re all now shit out of luck because of a bunch of weird racist zealots (who like to pretend they\u2019re saving taxpayer money with one hand, while\u00a0setting it on fire with the other<\/a>).<\/p>\n

A driving motivation behind these attacks on online equity isn\u2019t \u201csaving money,\u201d it\u2019s dismantling government efforts to do anything about the problems created by\u00a0consolidated corporate power<\/strong>. That means\u00a0lobotomizing the FCC<\/a>. It means\u00a0killing programs that gave school kids free Wi-Fi<\/a>. It means undermining efforts to protect U.S. citizens (in red or blue states alike) from\u00a0fraud and robocall hell<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Trump continues to insist his random-ass butchery of government is only \u201cimpacting Democrats\u201d:<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure whose going to correct the misconceptions of freshly-fucked Trump supporters in red states, since\u00a0Republicans also effectively lobotomized whatever was left of local news<\/a>\u00a0via a frontal assault on media consolidation limits.<\/p>\n

I was not previously aware that the President of the United States could unilaterally destroy an act of Congress, freeze funding for beneficial bipartisan programs, lie about the impact repeatedly, and face absolutely zero repercussions whatsoever. Consider me properly informed.<\/p>\n

ndia-v-trump-complaint<\/a>Download<\/a><\/p>\n

Trump Sued Again For Illegally Destroying The Digital Equity Act (And A Bunch Of Useful Programs That Helped His Own Supporters)<\/a><\/p>\n

More Law-Related Stories From Techdirt:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Against The New Feudalism Of Algorithms And Oligarchs<\/a>
Vance\u2019s Double Standard: Nazi Jokes Are \u201cKids Being Kids,\u201d But Mocking Charlie Kirk Gets Your Visa Revoked<\/a>
New York City Sues Instagram Rather Than Teach Kids Filters Aren\u2019t Real<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Back in May\u00a0we noted how\u00a0Trump illegally declared he was unilaterally destroying the $2.75 billion\u00a0Digital Equity Act, lying repeatedly that the law was \u201cracist\u201d and \u201cunconstitutional.\u201d The\u00a0law, passed as part of the infrastructure bill, was slated to bring millions in new broadband grants and digital literacy tools, education, and training to Americans (of all kinds). The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":135274,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-135273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-above_the_law"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/xira.com\/p\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-2206343614-scaled-cgrruq.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135273","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=135273"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135273\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/135274"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=135273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=135273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=135273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}