U.S. Senator moves to ban DEI across federal government

In a move the media labeled “extreme,” United States Senator J.D. Vance introduced legislation on Wednesday to gut Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs from the federal bureaucracy.

“The DEI agenda is a destructive ideology that breeds hatred and racial division,” he contended in a statement. “It has no place in our federal government or anywhere else in our society.”

The Dismantle DEI Act would undo much of the Biden agenda, as the administration has heavily emphasized “woke” diversity principles. For example, the president recently declared in a speech that the “values of diversity, equity, and inclusion are the core strength of America.”

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Specifically, Vance’s bill would target an executive order signed by Biden in 2021 advancing “equity within the Federal Government.” Additionally, the measure would bar DEI initiatives from receiving federal grants.

“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 [they exist],” said the senator. “Americans’ tax dollars should not be co-opted to spread this radical and divisive ideology – this bill would ensure they are not.”

Co-sponsor Congressman Michael Cloud agreed, “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. It’s absurd to fund these divisive policies, especially using American’s [sic] tax dollars, and it’s time for Congress to put an end to them once and for all.”

While conservatives have applauded the effort, it remains unlikely that the bill will gain traction in the Senate.

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DEI practices have been widely criticized on both sides of the aisle as meaningless acts of virtue signaling. Harvard Business Review, in an article called “The Failure of the DEI-Industrial Complex,” reported, “There’s a big, poorly kept secret in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) industry: the actual efficacy of an uncomfortably large proportion of our ‘flagship’ services … is lower than many practitioners make it out to be.”

Nevertheless, despite mounting public opposition against DEI, the federal government appears unwilling to act on the issue or cut back on taxpayer funding. Instead, the Biden administration recently secured $6 billion in federal funding for “equitable and inclusive” climate initiatives. In 2023 alone, over $16 million went to diversity training for federal employees in the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, and more.

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