WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Thursday opened a civil rights investigation into the hiring practices at George Mason University, expanding a national campaign against diversity policies to Virginia’s largest public university.

The backlash against DEI gained steam during the 2024 presidential election but hit a fever pitch when Trump took office. The private sector has rushed to distance itself from the policies it once trumpeted after the president threatened to strip federal contracts from companies that stood by their DEI programs.