Trump administration targets diversity policies after hospital complaint
- America First Legal has filed an official complaint against Henry Ford Health for allegedly discriminatory DEI practices.
- The complaint follows criticism from a consumer advocacy group regarding patient care being compromised for political agendas.
- The Trump administration is actively working to dismantle DEI initiatives while promoting merit-based hiring practices.
In April 2025, America First Legal, a pro-Trump legal nonprofit, submitted a formal complaint to the Department of Health and Human Services regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices at the Henry Ford Health system in the Midwest. The organization accused HFH of institutionalizing race- and sex-based discrimination within its operations, including employment practices and patient services, under the guise of DEI policies. This scrutiny follows an ad campaign by Consumers' Research, which claimed that the hospital prioritized ideological agendas over patient care, particularly in regard to transgender treatments for minors. The complaint highlighted that since 2021, Henry Ford Health has received close to $1 billion in federal funding, which allegedly embeds DEI-related provisions into its functions. The complaint asserts that the health system has engaged in systematic violations of civil rights laws, specifically Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. America First Legal is seeking not only an investigation into the allegations but also a comprehensive review of all federally funded programs at HFH, urging the suspension of racially and sexually based policies and legal penalties for noncompliance. Furthermore, the complaint calls for a wider scrutiny of diversity-related practices across federally funded healthcare organizations. It emphasizes the detrimental impact of such practices, where priorities are skewed more toward political ideologies rather than immediate patient needs. In response, a spokesperson for Henry Ford Health insisted their commitment to non-discrimination and compliance with all state and federal anti-discrimination laws remains firm. On a broader scale, the Trump administration has taken decisive actions to dismantle DEI programs across federal agencies, promoting a system of merit in hiring and operations. This shift has been characterized as an essential move towards enhancing innovation, job creation, and overall effectiveness in public health services, contending that patients seek quality care regardless of the backgrounds of their healthcare providers.