Republican lawmakers introduce 'Dismantle DEI Act' to curb federal DEI bureacracy
Congressman Michael Cloud of Texas and Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio recently introduced the 'Dismantle DEI Act.'
In a June 12 press release, Cloud stated that the bill is a necessary step towards protecting 'merit and equality' rather than 'equity.'
Some congressional Republican lawmakers have made increased strides toward removing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs from higher education, as well as from the federal government.
Rep. Michael Cloud (R-Texas) and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) recently introduced the “Dismantle DEI Act,” which, if passed, would significantly curb existing DEI programs that govern the federal government’s operational and hiring capabilities.
[RELATED: Utah universities dismantle DEI to comply with state law]
In a June 12 press release, Cloud stated that the bill is a necessary step towards protecting “merit and equality” rather than “equity.”
“DEI practices have zero place in our federal government,” Cloud said. “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.”
“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,” the congressman continued.
The legislation would make various alterations to educational policy, such as preventing federal agencies from being able to “require, encourage, or coerce any institution of higher education to engage in prohibited diversity, equity, and inclusion practices” for the purposes of accreditation.
The bill would also prevent the Secretary of Education from using funding from the act to “maintain an Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility, an Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, an Office of Diversity and Inclusion, a Diversity Office or a substantially similar office.” It would also prohibit the Education Secretary to use such funds from employing a chief diversity officer.
In his statements, Cloud also criticized specific programs that have resulted from existing DEI mandates, such as a multi-million dollar Defense Department contract that promoted DEI in military schools, as well as an FDA program that advanced “racial rationing” of COVID-19 medication during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Texas congressman went on to characterize such programs as “ridiculous and discriminatory,” and he asserted that the proposed act would end them.
“The Dismantling DEI Act will put an end to these practices by broadly prohibiting all racist DEI-related activities within the federal government. The bill specifically seeks to cut off funding for these trainings, offices, and programs that have been mentioned,” he added. “It also goes through the U.S. Code to eliminate legal authorizations for specific DEI programs and offices, ensuring that these divisive practices are rooted out comprehensively.”
Arthur Milikh, the executive director of the Center for the American Way of Life at the Claremont Institute, lauded Cloud and Vance’s work and is optimistic about the scope of the bill’s potential effects.
“DEI destroys competence while making Americans into enemies,” Milikh said. “This ideology must be fought, and its offices removed. Senator Vance’s and Congressman Cloud’s comprehensive legislation will do just this in the federal bureaucracy.”
Updates concerning the Dismantle DEI Act’s status can be found here.
Campus Reform has reached out to Senator Vance, Representative Cloud, and Arthur Milikh for comment. This story will be updated accordingly.