BY CHEYANNE M. DANIELS – 07/31/23 4:54 PM ET
Republicans look to eliminate congressional office of diversity and inclusion
Editor’s note: The headline of this report has been updated to more accurately reflect the office in the legislation.
Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.) has introduced legislation to abolish the Office of Diversity and Inclusion of the House of Representatives.
Mooney’s bill, which has no Democratic co-sponsors, comes on the heels of the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which eliminated diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) offices at the Pentagon.
“The House should abide by the same standards we set for federal agencies across the government, which is why I have introduced this resolution to eliminate the House Office of Diversity and Inclusion,” Mooney said in a statement.
The House Office of Diversity and Inclusion was created by the 116th Congress, after Democrats recaptured control of the House. It was the most diverse Congress ever elected, until the 2020 midterms.
But in a press release, Mooney called DEI efforts “the latest woke liberal method of injecting cultural Marxism into the workplace.” Mooney is a candidate for Senate, looking to take the seat held by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.).
“These offices start with the premise that white people are inheritably racist and oppressive,” he said. “The House of Representatives does not need bureaucrats promoting this divisive ideology.”
Republicans have been working to eradicate DEI offices around the nation, with some limiting schools from being able to promote programs on DEI efforts or in their hiring practices.
But Republicans have stumbled in their messaging on race in the last few weeks, most notably when Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) called Black military members and veterans “colored people” in his defense of eliminating DEI offices as part of the NDAA.
The Congressional Black Caucus last week blasted these gaffes.
“They’re proving every single day why diversity, equity and inclusion is needed,” Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), chair of the caucus, told reporters. “I would encourage them to contact the Office of Diversity here at the U.S. Capitol and benefit from the training and the resources that they have.”
In a statement to The Hill, the House Office of Diversity and Inclusion emphasized that it is a nonpartisan and nonlegislative office.
“Currently, ODI, which maintains relationships on both sides of the aisle, remains committed to its mission to advance a representative and qualified workforce by “putting the people in the people’s house,” ODI Director, Sesha Joi Moon, said.
“As for the future of ODI, our office, which currently consists of 12 employees, will of course comply with any forthcoming legislation and directives from leadership.”
The bill has several initial co-sponsors, including Reps. Troy Nehls (R-Texas), Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.), Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.), Bob Good (R-Va.), Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.), Brian Babin (R-Texas), Andrew Ogles (R-Tenn.), Chip Roy (R-Texas), Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Jack Bergman (R-Mich.), Mary Miller (R-Ill.), Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) and Ralph Norman (R-S.C.).
Even if Mooney’s bill passes in the House, it’s unlikely to pass in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
