The memo ties immigration enforcement to federal funding and prohibits mask or vaccine mandates.
A new memo issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation orders programs supported by the agency to prioritize funding for communities with higher-than-average marriage and birth rates, HuffPost reports. The memo also prohibits recipients of DOT funds from imposing vaccine or mask mandates, and ties funding to compliance with federal immigration enforcement.
“Newly confirmed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy buried his agency’s oddly specific requirement by describing the memo as focused on economic growth ― rather than population growth ― and echoed Trump’s criticisms of programs to improve diversity, equity and inclusion,” HuffPost reporters Sanjana Karanth and Jennifer Bendery write, noting that states with higher marriage and birth rates include predominantly white and religious states like Utah and South Dakota according to 2022 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The article includes the full memo, entitled “Ensuring Reliance Upon Sound Economic Analysis In Department of Transportation Policies, Programs, and Activities” as an embedded document.
FULL STORY: New DOT Memo Directs Funds To Communities With Higher ‘Marriage And Birth Rates’
DOT withholds $73M from New York over immigrant trucking licenses
The Trump administration is requiring states to revoke the CDLs of non-domiciled drivers without proof of citizenship or risk losing federal funds.
US Population Growth Slowest Since 2020 Due to Declining Immigration
Net international migration dropped from 2.7 million to 1.3 million in the year spanning July 2024 to July 2025.
HUD Threatens Sanctions for Housing Authorities That Don’t Verify Resident Immigration Status
The Trump administration continues its crackdown on undocumented immigrants, claiming it is “rooting out abuse of taxpayer-funded resources.”
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association