Story highlights The one-page memo asks the State Department to outline existing programs on gender equality

Initiatives aimed at supporting women and girls are a cornerstone of international development

Washington (CNN) President-elect Donald Trump's transition team has asked the State Department to provide a list of existing programs and activities intended to promote gender equality, according to sources at the agency, raising fears that these programs may be the target of cuts.

A one-page memo earlier reported by The New York Times and The Washington Post asks the State Department to outline existing programs on gender equality, including funding, positions and programs on women's empowerment and combating gender-based violence, department officials told CNN.

The questionnaire comes in the wake of broader efforts by the Trump transition team to quiz Obama administration agencies on programs and issues that the President-elect has expressed doubt about, including climate change. And though Trump has said little about gender, his attitudes toward and treatment of women became an incendiary campaign issue, particularly after leaked tapes of him bragging about sexually assaulting women.

Initiatives aimed at supporting women and girls are a cornerstone of international development, as they've proved to benefit broader societies. They were a signature issue for Trump's election rival, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

While some senior State Department officials caution that the transition team is asking basic management, budgetary and program questions typical of previous transitions and not suggestive of an ideological agenda, the questions have nevertheless raised concerns that Trump will work to roll back work on Obama administration priorities.

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