Roadmap for new Congress and Administration to root out harmful DEI programs

The News: In a new court filing supporting fourth-generation Tennessee farmer Robert Holman, the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) identified over sixty federal DEI programs that discriminate against Americans every day. Over eleven federal agencies run these racially discriminatory programs, which cost taxpayers tens of billions each year. In an amicus brief supporting Holman, a corn and soybean farmer who was discriminated against by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, WILL has created a roadmap for the new Congress and Administration to root out harmful DEI policies in the federal government.

The Quotes: WILL Deputy Counsel, Dan Lennington, stated, “During the Biden Administration, race discrimination infected every nook and cranny of the federal government. At least eleven federal cabinet-level agencies run over sixty race-based programs. These programs impact Americans and small businesses every day. The new Congress and Administration should immediately dismantle each one of these discriminatory programs. Otherwise, we’ll see them in court.”

Additional Background: The USDA is one of the many federal agencies plagued with programs that discriminate against everyday Americans. Justified by so-called “diversity, equity, and inclusion,” or DEI, these programs are designed to serve “socially disadvantaged individuals,” a racially charged term created to favor some races over others. Like many other federal agencies, USDA relies on unlawful stereotypes in distributing benefits to farmers, assuming that some races are all “disadvantaged” while others are not.

Going Further: This USDA program is not an outlier. WILL has identified over sixty other federal programs that allocate support based on racial preferences. The Supreme Court has deemed such programs unconstitutional time and again, yet the government refuses to repeal them until they are forced to. Our government should serve all Americans who need assistance fairly, not prioritizing the individuals who fit President Biden’s so-called “equity agenda.”

Read More: 

• Amicus, November 2024
• SDI Equality Resource, November 2024