San Francisco Considers Altering the Golden Gate Bridge to Satisfy Trump

Out of fear that the Trump administration may drastically scale back its federal funding, the public agency that runs the Golden Gate Bridge—the Bay Area’s iconic overpass—plans to do away with a number of diversity and equity programs.

“Federal funds are vital for what we do, and we have an obligation to protect the bridge for future generations,” Denis Mulligan, CEO of the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, told The San Francisco Standard this week. “So, we’re taking this action out of an abundance of caution.”

In a recently circulated memo, Mulligan announced potential policy changes at the agency that runs the bridge. The memo states that, due to a recently introduced federal policy that could rescind federal funds to programs that promote DEI initiatives, the Golden Gate agency may nix some of them itself.

This may all seem kinda silly since the Golden Gate Bridge is just, well, a bridge, and therefore doesn’t really have a lot of substantial policies or programs that deal with social issues. However, Mulligan’s memo may signal that the agency’s CEO plans to pull back from the limited DEI-adjacent policies it does have. The memo mentions potentially scrubbing “DEI language” from the agency’s 2024 strategic plan, as well as rescinding a previous resolution to consider “social equity” during agency procurements. Additionally, As the San Francisco Standard notes that Mulligan’s memo suggests potentially “rescinding a July 2020 resolution that ‘condemned racism’ and committed to a workplace ‘safe and free of discrimination.'” The resolution was passed not long after the death of George Floyd.

Mulligan has made it pretty clear that this is all to avoid having federal funds yanked out of the agency’s coffers—something Trump could hypothetically do anyway, just for spite. Mulligan told the Standard: “The values of the organization have not changed, but what we are doing is protecting the certainty of federal funds that we rely upon for the bridge, as well as our buses and ferries.” Gizmodo reached out to the office for more information.

It’s truly a sad day when government offices preemptively gouge their own eyes out in the hopes of avoiding a similar fate at the hands of the government. Fear is one of the big tools in Trump’s toolbox and, as the holder of the purse strings that disburse funding throughout the land, Trump has obviously scared a lot of people into believing that they’re going to be defunded. As such, his anti-DEI agenda—which has been targeted at schools and government offices—seems to be working phenomenally well.