President Donald Trump has launched a full-scale effort to eliminate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies and personnel from the federal government, but Democrats are attempting to fight back.
A coalition of House Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee sent a letter to newly confirmed U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio raising concerns about Trump’s purge of DEI from the federal government.
“We believe these priorities intersect with your demonstrated track record on human rights, diplomacy, and U.S. national security, and we look forward to working together in common cause,” the letter said. “However, we are deeply troubled by early steps the Trump Administration has taken to sideline, remove, or reassign many apolitical, career foreign service and civil service professionals at the Department without cause.”
The lawmakers urged Rubio to reverse the anti-DEI movement, though that seems unlikely.
As The Center Square previously reported, Trump’s range of DEI executive actions last week included placing all DEI federal employees on paid leave with the intention to fire them soon. Trump’s actions, part of a flurry of decisions his first week in office, also required federal agencies to take an inventory of DEI efforts, including contractors.
Trump’s supporters have heralded the end to taxpayer-funded DEI as long overdue, though critics have pushed back.
A smattering of Democrats around the country have blasted Trump and tried to gin up resistance, but Trump and his party have all the momentum from a sizable electoral win.
The Democrats behind this week’s letter to Rubio argue that institutional knowledge and experience will be lost, but Trump and his allies argue that institutionalism is the problem that has gummed up government efficiency at taxpayer expense.
“These individuals serve the American people across administrations of both parties and possess decades’ worth of experience and taxpayer investment,” the letter said. “The potential gutting of institutional knowledge, credibility, and core competencies at the Department as a result of these reckless and short-sighted decisions cannot be understated and will undermine your ability to serve effectively as Secretary. We therefore strongly urge you to reverse course on any efforts to purge or sideline career Department staff and to ensure all personnel decisions under your tenure are lawful and merited.”
