The Atlantic

Jeff Sessions's Agenda for the Civil-Rights Division

The Trump administration's budget envisions staff reductions and a diminished focus on traditional civil-rights enforcement.
Source: Mike Blake / Reuters

President Trump’s proposed budget assumes a major reduction of staff in the civil-rights division, the section of the Justice Department charged with enforcing laws against discrimination and protecting the right to vote.

“This is especially troubling as communities continue to be hit hard by issues such as voter suppression, hate crimes, police shootings of unarmed civilians and other problems that call for a strong and robust civil rights enforcement agenda,” said Kristen Clarke, a former civil-rights division attorney who now runs the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights.

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