EXCLUSIVE — The federal government wants to shut down reparations programs in the U.S., accusing state and local officials of "virtue signaling" and trying to get "votes" as they push the measure."Our philosophy here at this Department of Justice, consistent with recent Supreme Court precedent, is that all Americans are entitled to be judged on their own merits, and not instead as part of some bucket of collectives," Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K.Dhillon of the Justice Department’s (DOJ) Civil Rights Division told Fox News Digtal."I think that this reparations program, while obviously I understand the positive tensions, is an ill match for the Constitution, because it cannot withstand the strict scrutiny required whenever there are racial classifications and giving of government benefits.
And that's what's present here," she continued.TRUMP ADMIN WANTS TO STOP ILLINOIS CITY'S REPARATIONS EFFORT FOR 'SIMPLY HANDING OUT MONEY BASED ON RACE'Assistant AG Harmeet K.Dhillon.
(Noam Galai/Getty Images)Dhillon's comments came after the DOJ joined an existing class-action lawsuit challenging the "Local Reparations Restorative Housing Program" in the City of Evanston, Illinois.The DOJ contends that the Chicago suburb's initiative unlawfully distributes public benefits based strictly on race and ancestry."None of the beneficiaries of this are people who themselves personally suffered discrimination that can be traceable to any government action," Dhillon said."We can't have this system of spoils in this country where people who didn't discriminate are being forced to pay people who didn't suffer discrimination," she added."That's just a wealth transfer.
It is not a narrowly tailored justification for racial classifications and that's why we're taking action."The DOJ’s proposed complaint alleges that the program violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, as well as the Fair Housing Act, because the housing-related financial assistance is di...