US push to defund ‘DEI bike lanes’ will make roads less safe, advocates say

Cycling activists protest against the federal government's plan to remove bike lanes along the National Mall on 23 March 2026 in Washington DC. Photograph: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

The Trump administration’s plans to stymie and defund bike lane plans in the US, on the unusual basis that they are DEI tools, will hurt efforts to improve roadway safety, non-motorized transportation advocates say.

The transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, posted on X this month that he had redirected $1.73bn allocated for “Biden-era DEI pet projects” to “America’s actual backbone: ROADS, BRIDGES, AND SHIPPING PORTS”.