Diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives (DEI) seem to be everywhere, even in places where it would not be sensible, and Republicans are fighting back. Representative Greg Steube (R-FL) has introduced an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2024 General Government Appropriations that would defund DEI initiatives in the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
On the House floor, Rep. Steube did not mince words when he said, "Our Federal bureaucracy is riddled with wasteful and purposeless offices that do nothing but fuel the flames of divisiveness in our government."
Additionally, he said DEI programs "fuel racism over the needs of the American people" because they "treat people differently based on immutable characteristics like the color of their skin or their gender," something Rep. Steube said "should be offensive to all of us."
Hence, the amendment to defund the FCC's Equity and Diversity Commission.
"The mission of this woke DEI office is to quote, 'advance equity in the provision of access to digital communication services.' Further, it seeks to advance progressive priorities by elevating certain small businesses based merely on the race or gender of the business owner. Through the establishment of this council, it is clear that the FCC is working for special politically favored groups instead of the American people as a whole," Steube continued.
He then blasted a section of the 2021 infrastructure bill that detailed how the FCC has sought to prevent "digital discrimination." "Your guess is as good as mine as to what this has to do with infrastructure," Steube snarked.
Ultimately, he described how this obscure piece of policy gives Democrats free rein to accuse internet providers of discrimination "simply because some areas of the country have slightly better access to the internet than others, regardless of whether there is any evidence of actual, legitimate discrimination."
Clearly, "These divisive DEI policies deserve no place in our federal government, and I encourage my colleagues to join me in rooting out this radical progressive and woke ideology," Steube concluded.
In May, Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) signed SB 266 in the State of Florida, which would prohibit DEI initiatives in state colleges and universities.
