"Restoring Excellence: The Case Against DEI"

House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development

2025-05-21

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Source: Congress.gov

Summary

This meeting of the subcommittee on higher education workforce development focused on the controversial topic of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in educational institutions, particularly their impact on admissions, funding, and overall academic standards [ 00:11:08 ] [ 00:11:28-00:11:34 ] [ 00:17:31-00:17:33 ]

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. Speakers presented starkly different views, debating whether DEI policies promote essential opportunities or foster discrimination and lower merit-based outcomes [ 00:11:41-00:11:52 ] [ 00:17:46-00:17:56 ]

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Themes

Definition and Impact of DEI

Some speakers characterized DEI as a "toxic ideology" inspired by Marxism, arguing it promotes division by focusing on ancestry and color rather than effort and character [ 00:11:28-00:11:34 ] [ 00:11:52-00:12:31 ] . They suggested DEI is demeaning and racist, portraying individuals as either oppressors or victims based on their race [ 00:12:33-00:12:47 ]

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. In contrast, other participants asserted that DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility) efforts are crucial for ensuring the education system reflects society's richness and provides opportunities for all students [ 00:17:31-00:17:33 ]

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. They emphasized that DEI aims to break down barriers, eliminate educational disparities, and foster welcoming learning environments where everyone feels respected and belongs [ 00:17:56-00:18:02 ]

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[ 00:18:41-00:19:10 ]

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Meritocracy vs. Discrimination

A significant point of contention was whether DEI undermines merit-based systems. Critics argued that DEI leads to discrimination against students based on race, despite Supreme Court rulings against affirmative action [ 00:13:01-00:13:05 ]

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. They presented evidence that some universities continue race-based discrimination in admissions and hiring, sometimes by simply renaming DEI offices . These critics also contended that racial preferences stigmatize beneficiaries and can foster hostility toward perceived "privileged" groups . Conversely, proponents argued that DEI is not about lowering standards but about ensuring a fair chance for everyone [ 00:17:56 ]

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. They cited research indicating that diverse and inclusive learning environments benefit all students, including white students, by fostering critical thinking and reducing bias . It was also highlighted that some traditional markers like standardized tests might have a discriminatory impact and do not solely predict future success [ 01:05:07-01:05:29 ]

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Funding and Policy Implications

The discussion touched upon the impact of federal funding and judicial decisions on DEI. Some speakers criticized federal government programs for incentivizing violations of non-discrimination laws and urged Congress to amend the Higher Education Act to prevent accreditors from imposing DEI requirements . They also noted states that have banned racially discriminatory practices associated with DEI offices . On the other hand, defenders of DEI warned that anti-DEI efforts have led to significant cuts in research funding for institutions, especially Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) . These cuts, it was argued, force HBCUs to operate with fewer resources, impacting student support and the overall mission of providing access to higher education for marginalized communities .

Real-World Consequences and Workforce Readiness

Concerns were raised about the practical consequences of DEI, particularly in medical education. It was claimed that DEI in medicine shifts focus from best practices to political ideology, potentially leading to less prepared physicians and "racist healthcare policies" with severe consequences [ 00:13:56-00:14:27 ]

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. Research on "racial concordance" in healthcare, where matching patients with doctors of the same race is promoted, was dismissed as not supported by evidence for improving patient outcomes . Conversely, supporters argued that DEI programs are essential for workforce readiness, as over 90% of Fortune 500 companies utilize DEI strategies . They asserted that DEI helps prepare students to work and lead diverse teams, fosters innovation, and ensures better outcomes for a competitive nation [ 01:43:43 ]

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Tone of the Meeting

The tone of the meeting was highly contentious and polarized[ 00:11:28-00:11:34 ] . Speakers frequently used strong, emotionally charged language to advocate for their respective positions [ 00:11:28-00:11:34 ] [ 00:12:33-00:12:47 ]

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. There was a distinct lack of common ground, with each side presenting its arguments as fundamentally opposed to the other's [ 00:11:28-00:11:34 ] . Direct disagreements and accusations were exchanged between participants, highlighting the deep ideological divide on DEI [ 01:02:14-01:02:14 ]

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[ 01:02:20-01:02:26 ]

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Participants

Transcript

The subcommittee on higher education workforce development will come to order.  I note there's a quorum present.  Without objections, the chair is authorized to call recess at any time.  Whitewashing history, creating a conservative boogeyman, using racist dog whistles.  This is what the left's accusation whenever Americans call out the toxic ideology known as diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI.   D.I.  support his promise that it will break barriers, promote opportunity, and right our historical wrongs.  It is an ideology that takes its inspiration from Karl Marx, who was honest in his vision of America's historical theft.  The first battleground is rewriting history.  It's a philosophical roots nourished in the seabed of Marxism.  D.I.  states that our surrounding social construct determines our destiny, not effort, tenacity, grit, dreams, or character,   but instead our ancestry, history, and color.  Demeaning and racist to its core, DEI states that based on your color, you're either an evil oppressor or a hopeless, hapless, weak, and oppressed victim.  It teaches that all social ills can be traced to an oppressor, a segment of people in which prejudice and hatred is always justified.   We see results in the teaching on campus colleges throughout our country where the Jewish race is placed as by Marxist professors at the very top of their oppressor spectrum.  Antisemitism therefore runs rampant and unashamed.  The vision of our educational institutions from our country's founding has been to prepare every succeeding generation to be wise stewards of our nation's commitment to become a more perfect union.   Despite Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action, it appears that some universities are still playing the semantic word game with their admission processes.  They are continuing to discriminate against students based on their race, but under different names.
DEI adherence in these institutions continue to be a large factor in staff promotions and tenure.  It continues to feed the lack of ideological diversity among faculty.  Students are forced to participate in DEI programs.   In order to graduate, accreditors, instead of holding institutions accountable for the student's outcome, are imposing on them DEI requirements.  The most disastrous outcome of this divisive ideology is the impact it's had on low-income, underrepresented populations that Democrats claim to care about.  As college costs remain high, self-confidence drops to new lows, and students often leave worse off than if they had never attended in the first place.   In the strongholds of DEI, students are left to doubt whether their personal accomplishments are due to their merit or due to their skin color.  There's no worse area for DEI than in medical education.  Instead of a focus on the best medical practice for each patient, healthcare disparities are quickly blamed on their oppression.  The DEI solution, therefore, to discrimination is for more discrimination.   resulting in racist healthcare policies that in the real world have life and death consequences.  From day one, the Trump administration has taken a strong stance against DEI, recognizing that it is contrary to America's ideals of hard work, merit, and equality.  This administration has undone countless discriminatory Biden-Harris executive orders and worked to ensure DEI has no place in our universities.   To universities who believe you can simply change the name of your DEI offices and continue to teach hatred and discrimination, as a heads up, this committee will not be silent.  We owe it to the next generation to teach them that due to our American DEA, I'm sorry, American DNA, based on faith, family, the free market, and education, there are always reasons to be hopeful and never hopeless.
I look forward to our discussion today, and I will yield now to the ranking member.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.  I want to, first of all, thank all of our witnesses for being here today.  Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, DEIA, these efforts are essential to ensuring that our education system reflects the richness of our society and provides every student   with the opportunity to succeed.  DEIA is not about lowering standards or or moving away from merit based selection.  It's about ensuring that everyone has a fair shot.  Everyone is respected and and feels like they belong.  Historically, policies like slavery and Jim Crow laws and redlining have systemically excluded marginalized communities from equal opportunities.   DEIA works to systematically include people on campuses and ensure that no one feels unwelcome.  As a former college professor for 40 years, I've seen firsthand how DEIA initiatives can transform the lives   of students.  These programs provide students from historically marginalized backgrounds with the tools and the resources and the opportunities they need to succeed and thrive.  DEIA efforts are critical to breaking down barriers, eliminating educational disparities, and ensuring that all students, regardless of their background, receive a high quality   well-rounded education.

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