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Trump Says Digital Equity Funding Under Broadband Law Will Be Ended
WASHINGTON, May 8, 2025 – After more than 100 days of official silence about the status of digital equity grant funding, President **Donald Trump** on Thursday afternoon said that the government would be "ending this immediately" and cancelling what he called a $2.5 billion "giveaway."
In a post on his Truth Social social network, Trump called the funding under the Digital Equity Act unconstitutional, racist and illegal. He said that he had spoken with Commerce Secretary **Howard Lutnick** and that "we agree."
The Digital Equity Act was legislation attached to the bipartisan infrastructure law passed in August 2021 and signed by President **Joe Biden** in November 2021. The law allocated $65 billion for broadband, $42.5 billion under a last-mile infrastructure program, about $2.5 billion under DEA and $1 billion for middle mile broadband projects.
The Digital Equity Act is aimed at tackling barriers to broadband adoption that persist after infrastructure is deployed, like training, expensive devices or an unfamiliarity with digital services.
### _Early reactions from digital inclusion advocates_
In a statement about Trump's post, National Digital Inclusion Alliance Executive Director **Angela Siefer** said:
> Calling the Digital Equity Act unconstitutional is not only incorrect — it hurts millions of Americans who need digital navigation support and home internet to find jobs, access healthcare, and compete in today’s modern economy....
>
> The Digital Equity Act was not an executive order issued at the whim of one individual. It passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress to help close the digital divide in rural, urban, and Tribal communities. 56 States and Territories are counting on the funds to implement essential programs across their states, and their work is already underway. NDIA is one of 65 projects recommended for award, and our subgrantees were prepared to launch 13 programs in 11 states beginning on March 1. NDIA’s shovel-ready project alone would have served over 30,000 people in the next five years. Despite signed agreements with the federal government, we were told to stop. Now, a Truth Social post has put ours and 65+ other community-based trusted digital inclusion programs at risk, and real people are about to pay the price.
>
> That includes workers who need to apply for jobs online. Parents who need internet access for their children’s education. Small businesses and farmers who rely on technology to compete. Veterans, seniors, and families being scammed out of thousands of dollars because they lack the tools and training to protect themselves. The support they need is urgent. It should be happening now....
A question seeking clarification about Trump's social media post emailed to the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which administers the broadband programs, was not immediately returned.
### _Concerns, but no reports of a funding pause or cancellation_
In April, Broadband Breakfast was unable to verify reports that that the Trump administration had frozen funding for two programs under the Digital Equity Act, totaling about $2.5 billion.
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