Republican lawmakers introduced a new bill on Wednesday that would ban all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) positions in the federal government and prohibit contractors from mandating training sessions or requiring DEI statements.
The Dismantle DEI Act of 2024, which was introduced by Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) and Rep. Mike Cloud (R-Texas), would also rescind any executive orders from President Joe Biden that are centered on DEI and put a stop to DEI-related funding for agencies, organizations, and educational accreditation agencies.
“The DEI agenda is a destructive ideology that breeds hatred and racial division,” Vance said in a statement, per The Hill. “I’m proud to introduce this legislation, which would root out DEI from our federal bureaucracy by eliminating such programs and stripping funding for DEI policies anywhere it exists. Americans’ tax dollars should not be co-opted to spread this radical and divisive ideology — this bill would ensure they are not.” DEI is racism, plain and simple. It’s time to outlaw it nationwide, starting with the federal government. https://t.co/IRog7RqONk
— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) June 12, 2024
Cloud echoed Vance, saying that DEI does not belong in the federal government.
“These initiatives, presented as promoting fairness, have instead fostered division and racial bias within our institutions and culture – which is not conducive to serving taxpayers well,” he said in a press release. “This bill is a necessary step to restore merit and equality, not equity, in America’s government institutions, and eliminate the DEI bureaucracy that sows division and wastes taxpayer money.”
Cloud continued: “It’s absurd to fund these divisive policies, especially using American’s tax dollars, and it’s time for Congress to put an end to them once and for all. I want to thank my friend Senator Vance for his work on this issue and look forward to taking our message to the American people – a message that offers opportunity to ALL Americans rather than a select few.”
The bill has support from 20 other Republican lawmakers, including Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas).
Wednesday afternoon, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) also threw support behind the legislation.
“I like this bill, and have decided to join it as a cosponsor,” he said on X. I like this bill, and have decided to join it as a cosponsor.@JDVance1, sign me up! https://t.co/AdWw61ldo2
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) June 12, 2024
The Dismantle DEI Act also received praise from Heritage Action for America, Citizens for Renewing America, and the Claremont Institute Center for the American Way of Life.
According to The Washington Free Beacon, which broke the story:The bill is the most comprehensive legislative effort yet to excise DEI initiatives from the federal government and regulated entities. It offers a preview of how a Republican-controlled government, led by former president Donald Trump, could crack down on the controversial diversity programs that have exploded since 2020, fueled in part by President Joe Biden’s executive orders mandating a "whole-of-government" approach to "racial equity."
From NASA and the National Science Foundation to the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S Army, all federal agencies require some form of diversity training. Mandatory workshops have drilled tax collectors on "cultural inclusion," military commanders on male pregnancy, and nuclear engineers on the "roots of white male culture," which—according to a training for Sandia National Laboratories, the Energy Department offshoot that designs America’s nuclear arsenal—include a "can-do attitude" and "hard work."
If the bill was signed into law, the federal government could save at least tens of millions of dollars. Last year, the Biden administration shelled out more than $16 million on diversity training for federal employees. The administration also requested $83 million to fund DEI programs for the U.S. Department of State.
A separate Wednesday report from the Free Beacon found that the Biden administration’s seeming inability to follow through on the pledge to build half a million EV charging stations (so far, they have built seven) may be the result of delays caused by the White House’s DEI initiatives.
The outlet interviewed those involved with overseeing the charging station project and reviewed 99 pages of internal memos from the Department of Transportation.
One senior staffer said, “These requirements are screwing everything up. It’s all a mess.”
"These onerous diversity, equity, and inclusion requirements handcuff professionals from making proper evaluations and prevent the government/public from funding the most deserving projects, instead funneling money towards less qualified applicants,” the official added.
