Story highlights The commission announced a two-year investigation into the Trump administration

The agency cited proposed staff decreases in several departments and agencies in its reasons for the probe

Washington (CNN) The US Commission on Civil Rights announced Friday that it will investigate the Trump administration's enforcement of civil rights, saying it has concerns about the impact of proposed budget and staff cuts across the federal government.

The independent government agency, which is tasked with monitoring federal civil rights enforcement, unanimously approved a two-year probe into whether the cuts will allow federal civil rights offices to perform their duties under the law.

"Along with changing programmatic priorities, these proposed cuts would result in a dangerous reduction of civil rights enforcement across the country, leaving communities of color, LGBT people, older people, people with disabilities, and other marginalized groups exposed to greater risk of discrimination," the commission wrote in a statement announcing the investigation.

The commission cited proposed staff decreases in several departments and agencies as well as the actions of the Justice Department and the Education secretary in its reasons for taking the assessment. The administration's budget would reduce money for civil rights-related offices in several agencies, making cuts of 15% and 23% in some cases, and would eliminate the EPA's Environmental Justice program and the nonprofit Legal Services Corp., which supports civil legal aid for low-income Americans, the commission said.

The Justice, Education and Labor departments and the Environmental Protection Agency were among seven agencies and departments that the commission listed as of special concern.

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