Congressional Republicans have introduced a bill aimed at taking down diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs across the federal bureaucracy.
On Wednesday, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) introduced the “Dismantle DEI Act” in the Senate while Rep. Michael Cloud (R-TX) unveiled the House version with 15 House Republicans as co-sponsors. Co-sponsors of the Senate version include, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) and Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND).
The legislation, which targets federal officers and personnel as well as training, education, contractors, advisory committees and grants, seeks to “ensure equal protection of the law, to prevent racism in the Federal Government.”
Vance’s bill would cancel executive orders, ban mandatory employee DEI pledges, end critical race theory trainings, terminate chief diversity officers and revoke DEI funding for federal agencies.
The legislation would also crack down on DEI-supporting educational accreditation agencies and prevent federal grant recipients across multiple injustices from employing DEI policies.
In a statement that followed the legislation, Vance said, “The DEI agenda is a destructive ideology that breeds hatred and racial division. It has no place in our federal government or anywhere else in our society.”
In his own statement, Cloud said that DEI initiatives have “fostered division and racial bias within our institutions and culture,” even though they have been billed as a way to promote fairness.
According to him, the legislation 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.”
The lawmakers’ efforts come as President Joe Biden has signed multiple executive orders that champion DEI in the federal workforce since he took office.
In a recent speech, the president, who boasts of having the “most diverse administration” in U.S. history, advocated for DEI, calling it “the core strength of America.”
