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9/28/2023

Treasury Department Affirms Title VI Protections Against Ancestry and Ethnicity Discrimination | U.S. Department of th…

Treasury Department Affirms Title VI Protections Against
Ancestry and Ethnicity Discrimination
September 28, 2023

As part of Biden-Harris Administrationʼs National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, Treasury
Department Joins Agencies from across the Administration in A irming Title VI Enforcement
Against Antisemitic, Islamophobic, and other Discrimination
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury Department) today joined
seven other federal agencies in clarifying for the first time that Title VI of the Civil Rights Act,
which protects individuals from discrimination based on actual or perceived shared ancestry
or ethnic characteristics, o ers protection against certain forms of antisemitic, Islamophobic,
and related discrimination and bias. The fact sheet

released today describes ways this

protection may cover individuals who are or are perceived to be Jewish, Christian, Muslim,
Sikh, Hindu, Buddhist, or of another religious group. Todayʼs announcement is a key step to
implement the Biden-Harris Administrationʼs National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism

,

released in May 2023.
“The Treasury Department provides critical services and financial assistance that touch the
lives of millions of American families, workers, and businesses,” said Deputy Secretary of the
Treasury Wally Adeyemo. “In providing this assistance, Treasury maintains a clear prohibition
against discrimination in all of our policies, programs, and operations.”
The Treasury Departmentʼs O ice of Civil Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity (OCRE)
enforces Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race,
color, and national origin (including shared ancestry and ethnic characteristics) by recipients
of Federal financial assistance from the Department. Further, the Department has an
established process for the beneficiaries of Treasury financial assistance to file complaints of
discrimination with OCRE.
The Treasury Department continues to implement its commitments made under the National
Strategy to Counter Antisemitism. For instance, the Treasury Department is promoting
information to assist financial institutions to identify financial transactions of violent
extremists, including those motivated to violence by antisemitism. This includes the
https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1770

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9/28/2023

Treasury Department Affirms Title VI Protections Against Ancestry and Ethnicity Discrimination | U.S. Department of th…

Departmentʼs recently launched Domestic Violent Extremism Landing Page, which provides
information to help financial institutions better address how violent extremists raise, move,
and use funds to facilitate violent acts against Jews and others.
Todayʼs fact sheet “Protecting Individuals from Discrimination Based on an Actual or
Perceived Shared Ancestry or Ethnic Characteristics” and additional resources are available
here.
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https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1770

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