The Education Department announced Friday that it found George Mason University in violation of Title VI due to “unlawful DEI policies.” 

The department said George Mason University used race and other immutable characteristics in hiring and promotion practices at the institution.

“In 2020, University President Gregory Washington called for expunging the so-called ‘racist vestiges’ from GMU’s campus. Without a hint of self awareness, President Washington then waged a university-wide campaign to implement unlawful DEI policies that intentionally discriminate on the basis of race. You can’t make this up,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor.

“Despite this unfortunate chapter in Mason’s history, the University now has the opportunity to come into compliance with federal civil rights laws by entering into a Resolution Agreement with the Office for Civil Rights. In the last seven months, this much is clear: The Trump-McMahon Department of Education will not allow racially exclusionary practices—which violate the Civil Rights Act, the Equal Protection Clause, and Supreme Court precedent—to continue corrupting our nation’s educational institutions,” he added. 

The department has proposed six conditions to resolve the violation that it said George Mason must decide to agree to within the next 10 days.  

The federal agency wants the president of George Mason to release a statement to the campus community ensuring hiring and promotions will comply with Title VI, a personal apology for the violation and ensure it is displayed prominently on the university’s website.  

George Mason would also have to agree to revise its policies and documents for hiring, conduct annual training that emphasizes GMU will not give preferences based on race and make records available upon request to the government to prove the university is complying with the agreement. 

If the university does not agree to the resolution, it is likely the Trump administration will move to pull federal funding from the institution.  

The administration has already pulled billions of dollars, collectively, from multiple universities such as Harvard and the University of California, Los Angeles, demanding big payouts and access to admissions data to release the funds. 

The Hill has reached out to George Mason for comment.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Friday the central bank faces “significant uncertainty” as it attempts to navigate how Trump administration policies are shaping the economy.

In remarks at the Fed’s annual summit in Jackson Hole, Wyo., Powell said the Fed needs to determine whether the impact of Trump’s tariffs, immigration restrictions and tax cuts will be temporary, or lead to permanent changes in the U.S. economy.

“There is significant uncertainty about where all of these polices will eventually settle and what their lasting effects on the economy will be,” Powell said.

The Fed, Powell said, is facing two conflicting trends: rising inflation, which would call for higher rates, and a weakening labor market, which would lend support for cuts.

“In the near term, risks to inflation are tilted to the upside, and risks to employment to the downside—a challenging situation. When our goals are in tension like this, our framework calls for us to balance both sides of our dual mandate,” Powell said.

Powell said that while the impact of Trump’s tariffs are “clearly visible,” it is not yet clear if they will lead to a one-time increase in prices or trigger a longer-term inflation surge.

“We expect those effects to accumulate over coming months, with high uncertainty about timing and amounts,” Powell said.

Powell’s final Jackson Hole speech as Fed chief comes as the central bank faces enormous pressure from President Trump to deeply slash interest rates.

Trump has raged against the Fed and Powell, specifically, for holding rates steady through the year after cutting them twice under former President Biden. While the Fed had anticipated cutting rates this year, Powell and other Fed officials blamed the delay on Trump’s steep tariffs.

Powell has defended the Fed’s decisions to keep rates steady as the banks waits to see how Trump’s tariffs will affect the economy — whether by boosting prices temporarily, causing a long-term increase in inflation, slowing growth or having little overall impact.

Inflation has also crept higher over the summer as the full weight of Trump’s tariff regime takes effect and ripples through the economy.

Even so, Powell has faced increasing opposition from within the Federal Open Market Committee — the panel of Fed officials responsible for setting rates — as the summer has worn on and Trump gets closer to choosing his successor.

Fed Governor Christopher Waller and Vice Chair of Supervision Michelle Bowman both voted against the FOMC’s decision to keep rates steady last month, calling instead for a 0.25 percentage point rate cut.

Waller and Bowman, both Trump appointees, are in the running to succeed Powell as chair when the latter’s term expires next year.

While both have been more sympathetic to Trump’s calls for rate cuts, they have not come close to supporting the crisis-level reductions the president is seeking.

Developing

President Trump sent a warning to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) early Friday, threatening to extend the federal takeover of local police in the nation’s capital citing “inaccurate” crime reporting data.

“Washington, D.C. is SAFE AGAIN! The crowds are coming back, the spirit is high, and our D.C. National Guard and Police are doing a fantastic job. They are out in force, and are NOT PLAYING GAMES!!!” the president wrote on Truth Social just after midnight Friday. “As bad as it sounds to say, there were no murders this week for the first time in memory.”

“Mayor Muriel Bowser must immediately stop giving false and highly inaccurate crime figures, or bad things will happen, including a complete and total Federal takeover of the City,” he added. “Washington D.C. will soon be great again!!!” 

The Justice Department (DOJ) opened an investigation this week into the district’s crime reporting data. The probe is headed by the Office of the U.S. Attorney for D.C., the same office that said earlier this year that violent crime in Washington has reached a 30-year low.

The president visited federal law enforcement at a U.S. Park Police center in Anacostia on Thursday evening, arguing the administration’s takeover of local police is already paying off. 

“It’s like a different place, different city,” Trump told the crowd. “Now, I think right now it’s better than it has been in years and in a couple of weeks, it’s going to be far better.”

The Trump administration launched its crackdown on crime in D.C. earlier this month, announcing that the Justice Department (DOJ) would take control of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Trump also deployed National guard troops to the area.

Since the Aug. 11 announcement, around 630 arrests were made, including the detainment of 250 migrants without legal status, according to the White House’s data. 

Local officials and residents have pushed back on the administration’s moves.

An extension of the federal takeover would require Congressional approval under the district’s Home Rule Act.