'Back to basics': Top Trump agency turns tables on Biden-era memos pushing 'equity initiatives'

Specifically, the department took issue with the memos' efforts when it came to cutting back on "greenhouse gas emissions" and "equity initiatives."

However, this is not the first time the memos have faced scrutiny.

The United States Chamber of Commerce in Jan. 2023 asked the Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt to get rid of the "Policy on Using Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Resources to Build a Better America" memo in order to avoid over-complicating the overall mission of taxpayer-funded infrastructure investments.

"We supported the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) because it represents the most significant infusion of investment in our infrastructure since the enactment of the Interstate Highway System in the mid-1950s," the chamber wrote with various other groups, including the American Trucking Associations and the Association of American Railroads. 

"It is also a carefully negotiated and balanced package of policy reforms and targeted national investments that will make Americans' lives better. However, the Dec. 16 memo elicited significant confusion within the transportation community as the guidance intended to serve as an overarching policy framework that prioritizes IIJA resources towards certain projects, which was inconsistent with what was laid out under the legislation President Biden signed into law the month before," the letter added.