1.
Police Reform and Consent Decrees: The Trump administration got rid of consent decrees put in place by President Obama. These are agreements between the federal government and local law enforcement agencies to enforce reforms in cases of systemic police misconduct.
This rollback reduced federal oversight over police departments with histories of civil rights violations.
2.
Immigration Policies: The administration implemented the travel ban targeting several Muslim-majority countries,
including African nations, which affected Black immigrants. The policy was criticized for being discriminatory and disproportionately impacting Black communities from those regions.
3.
The Trump administration's Education Department, led by Betsy DeVos,
rolled back guidance on civil rights protections in schools, including rescinding Obama-era policies aimed at addressing racial disparities in school discipline. This reduction in federal oversight potentially increased racial inequities in education.
4. The administration's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic,
including delayed responses and inadequate support for healthcare systems, disproportionately affected Black Americans, who faced higher infection and mortality rates. The lack of a targeted public health response worsened these disparities.
5.
Housing Policies: The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
under the Trump administration repealed the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, which was designed to combat housing discrimination and promote equitable housing practices. This rollback potentially increased discrimination in housing markets that disproportionately impacts Black families.
6.
Healthcare Policies: The Trump administration took multiple actions to
undermine the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including cutting the enrollment period and outreach funding, and supporting a lawsuit to repeal the ACA.
These actions threatened healthcare coverage for millions, including many Black Americans.
7.
Voting Rights: The Trump administration's Justice Department supported voter ID laws and other voting restrictions in various states,
which have been criticized for disproportionately affecting Black voters. The administration also did not fully enforce the Voting Rights Act, particularly after the Supreme Court's Shelby County v. Holder decision weakened its provisions.
