MnDOT: ‘We Don’t Have All The Answers’ As Trump Ends Race, Gender Rules for Transit Contracts

ST. PAUL, MN — The Minnesota Department of Transportation says it’s reviewing major new changes to a federal program meant to help disadvantaged contractors after the Trump Administration eliminated race and gender presumptions for participation.

The U.S. Department of Transportation issued an Interim Final Rule on Oct. 3 requiring all states to remove automatic race- and gender-based qualifications from the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program.

Under the new rule, all firms, including those already certified, must individually prove both social and economic disadvantage, without regard to race or sex, to requalify as a DBE.

MnDOT’s Office of Civil Rights Director Sean Skibbie said the department is "actively reviewing this direction" and "assessing the options we have to both stay true to our values and successfully deliver a multimodal transportation system that maximizes the health of people, the environment and our economy."

"While we don’t have all the answers today," Skibbie said, "we will remain in touch as we navigate this large change."

The DBE program has long aimed to ensure fair access for small businesses owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals on federally funded transportation projects.