The Trump administration is taking one of its most sweeping steps yet to dismantle race-based preferences in American education. On Thursday, the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service proposed new regulations that would revoke the federal tax-exempt status of any private school or college that uses race in admissions, scholarships, athletics, or other school-administered programs. The proposal, which could affect as many as 18,000 schools, signals that the administration intends to use the tax code as a powerful enforcement tool in its broader campaign to end what it calls discrimination against students on the basis of race.
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From Fox News:
The rules, proposed by the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service, aim to end what administration officials argue is discrimination against white students in favor of students of color.
“Schools rebranding race-based preferences as equitable, inclusive, or diversity-enhancing does not change their discriminatory nature,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.
The Treasury estimated that the rules could impact as many as 18,000 schools at all education levels and 750,000 students who could be affected because they may qualify for race-based scholarships.
The proposal builds directly on the Supreme Court’s 2023 Students for Fair Admissions decisions, which prohibited most race-conscious admissions policies at colleges and universities. Under the new rules, any program that considers race, color, or national or ethnic origin “for any purpose” — including stated efforts to address past racial discrimination — would be covered. That broad scope means the regulations extend well beyond admissions to scholarships, loans, educational policies, and every other school-administered or school-supported program.
The administration carved out several notable protections in the proposal. Religious schools would be permitted to maintain their mission, curriculum, and programs, and could continue selecting students based on religious affiliation. Schools would also still be allowed to assist disadvantaged students using race-neutral criteria such as income, geographic location, individual hardship, first-generation status, or academic achievement. The proposal is now subject to a public comment period and would likely face legal challenges before taking effect.
Opposition emerged quickly. The American Association of University Professors, which has previously sued the administration to block funding cuts, said it is considering legal action. AAUP President Todd Wolfson argued the proposal misapplies civil rights law, saying it represents “an affirmative attempt to turn civil-rights law against the very people it was enacted to protect.” The administration, however, has shown no sign of slowing its push to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion policies across K-12 schools and higher education since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025. Harvard University has been a particular focus, facing federal funding cuts, investigations, and threats to its own tax-exempt status.
Christians who believe in the biblical principle that God shows no partiality (Acts 10:34) and that every person is made in His image (Genesis 1:27) have long wrestled with how those truths apply to race and opportunity in America. When institutions use race as a deciding factor — regardless of the stated intention — they risk violating the fundamental truth that each person’s worth and opportunity should be rooted in character, ability, and effort, not skin color. At the same time, believers are called to pursue genuine justice and care for those who are vulnerable (Micah 6:8). As this regulation moves through the comment period and likely into the courts, Christians are called to pray for wisdom, discernment, and a commitment to fairness that honors God’s design and upholds the dignity of every student.
Let us pray for President Trump, Treasury Secretary Bessent, and IRS leadership as they implement this regulation. May they be granted wisdom to distinguish between genuine fairness and policies that merely rebrand discrimination, and may our nation’s educational institutions reflect God’s impartial love and justice. Pray also for the students and families who could be affected, that doors of opportunity would open on the basis of merit and that every young person would be seen as the image-bearer God created them to be.
How are you praying about this issue? Share your prayers and scriptures in the comments below.
(Excerpt from Fox News. Photo Credit: Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images).
