Copyright Norfolk Virginian-Pilot
You don’t have to be a fan of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) to be disturbed by the Trump administration’s bulldozer approach taken to root it out, in public and private institutions. Conservatives and constitutionalists should be concerned that these vague definitions of DEI policies, coupled with a growing willingness to violate free speech rights, could be used to silence political opponents and advance partisan policies by whim akin to authoritarianism. Whether it is firing government employees because they worked in DEI positions, eliminating programs put in place by law, or threatening private companies, no one could accuse the Trump administration of approaching this issue with any kind of nuance, or the rule of law. Watching the weaponization of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) agency, as it threatens private companies’ hiring and retention policies, is exactly the sort of government overreach that conservatives have decried for generations. Fortunately, the public outcry about the FCC chairman’s recent statements was bipartisan, with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, likening his comments (“We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”) to those of a mob boss. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon is one of the leaders against the so-called DEI agenda, despite struggling to define it. When U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., asked in a hearing whether lessons on the Tulsa race massacre or Ruby Bridges would be considered “illegal DEI,” McMahon offered no clear answers and, astonishingly, appeared unfamiliar with these landmark cases of racial injustice. For teachers to now be forced into a “mother may I” stance over whether they can teach such history is both tragic and ignorant, and it has nothing to do with DEI. The White House also has weaponized “DEI” as a pretext to attack institutions such as the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush opened together in 2016. At the dedication, Bush quoted John Adams calling slavery an “evil of colossal magnitude” and praised the museum for celebrating African American greatness. President Donald Trump himself once hailed it as “a shining example of African Americans’ incredible contributions.” Now, parroting the “Project 2025” playbook, he threatens to distort that history and remove exhibits from the carefully curated museum. At the National Institutes of Health, for decades, Congress increased funding with bipartisan support — including enthusiastic leadership from former Speaker Newt Gingrich and many Republicans on the Appropriations Committee. But now, the Trump administration has canceled hundreds of bipartisan research projects including those on racial health disparities and maternal outcomes, dismissing them as “divisive” simply for mentioning race or gender. Imagine trying to write a grant for maternal health without mentioning race or gender — even though Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. These aren’t partisan talking points; they’re life-and-death facts. The Department of Justice is engaging in similar nonsense. At University of Virginia, the Commerce Cohort program provided mentorship to first-year students based on need, not race. Yet DOJ claimed the program was discriminatory because most participants were nonwhite — even though the program’s criteria were race-neutral and UVA’s freshman class is majority nonwhite. The absurd logic: Outcomes alone equal discrimination. If DEI policies or programs violate the law, then yes, the appropriate parties or agencies can challenge them or take them to court. But the ongoing assault is nothing more than extreme and misguided policy choices made under the threat of an administration willing to use an unchecked power that Congress has shown no inclination to oppose. Those who do not comply are receiving threats to pull their funding, while those who do are rewarded for their loyalty. Our law and culture are weaker for it. The sad thing is that not only is this bad policy and bad law, it is very bad politics for Trump. He is dividing the country by allowing those with an agenda (“Project 2025”) that he disavowed during the 2024 campaign. Barbara Comstock of McLean is a Republican who represented Virginia’s 10th Congressional District.
