In a move that many conservatives would say has been a long time coming, on Wednesday, Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) introduced a bill that will eliminate offices of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in a slew of government departments and agencies. The six-page Abolish Government DEI Act eliminates any DEI initiatives paid for with taxpayer dollars. Before introducing the legislation, Schmitt issued a statement. He said,

Joe Biden has poisoned traditionally non-partisan government entities with divisive DEI politics, and these programs have done nothing more than waste taxpayer money and sow division among federal employees.

DEI and CRT are fruit of the poisonous tree of cultural Marxism. pic.twitter.com/dfM1Dx0z7k

— Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) November 8, 2023

The list of the departments and agencies covered in the bill reads like an alphabet soup of bloated government entities overseeing the lives of everyday Americans. At least eight of the 15 departments that make up cabinet positions have DEI offices. While the list of affected agencies is too long to repeat here, everything from the IRS to the military to the United States Patent and Trademark Office has instituted DEI offices and officers within their departments or agencies. 

As with most things, the federal government is a bit behind the rest of the world. The concept of DEI was a byproduct of the post-George Floyd era. Most major U.S. corporations fell over each other trying to establish DEI offices and officers. But a strange thing has begun to happen. Many of the Chief Diversity Officers in some of America's largest companies are folding up their tents and calling it quits on the whole DEI movement. Those who seek out candidates for DEI positions say demand is the lowest in 30 years.

One of the areas most negatively affected by DEI is education. Ironically, the Department of Education was not included on the list of departments whose DEI office would be eliminated, but it should be. The landmark Supreme Court decision on affirmative action came as a result of a lawsuit filed by a group of Asian students at Harvard University, who claimed they faced discrimination because the university rated them lower, and held them to higher standards, on things like leadership and likability. They also claimed Harvard admissions policies favored black and Hispanic students. 

Two of the stand-out agencies on the list have to be DEI offices in places like the Department of Health and Human Services, and the National Institutes of Health. In the case of these agencies, if Sen. Schmitt's bill passes, the elimination of DEI initiatives may even literally be a lifesaver. Do you want your healthcare professionals qualified or woke?

Americans know that DEI is a huge waste of their taxpayer dollars, and the very concept of it does what it claims to prevent -- discriminates on the basis of skin color and against well-qualified people of all races. In Wednesday's statement, Sen. Schmitt stated clearly why DEI initiatives need to go. He said,

America is the greatest meritocracy the world has ever seen, and DEI officers, made-up buzzwords, and feel-good initiatives authored by Biden and bureaucrats undercut the very foundation of our country. I will work to counter inherently unfair and wasteful DEI initiatives in our federal government.

What should we do now?

Many things.

One of them: End 'DEI'.

It’s not about diversity, equity, or inclusion. It is about arrogating power to a movement that threatens strivers of every race, ethnicity, and class—and ultimately America itself.https://t.co/smVQahmHu9

— Bari Weiss (@bariweiss) November 7, 2023