The Washington Times reported over the weekend that “President Trump’s effort to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in government is ripping through the private sector, forcing companies to scrub their websites and overhaul hiring practices or risk federal scrutiny and retribution.”
As NLPC followers know, our view has been that the corporate departure from DEI policies has been largely a mirage. NLPC’s Paul Kamenar offered comment to the Times that reflected our perspective:
Paul Kamenar, counsel at the National Legal and Policy Center, said the movement away from DEI “went into high gear” after the election and Mr. Trump’s order.
“I think the political winds have shifted. These companies are shying away from sponsoring LGBT parades and programs and so forth,” he said. “They’re cutting back on that. But at the same time, it is more of a cosmetic change.”
Indeed, companies are caught in a tough spot, hoping to comply with Mr. Trump’s new rules while avoiding the ire of left-wing activists who say diversity initiatives remain critical.
After McDonald’s announced in January that it would no longer set “aspirational representation goals” and make other changes to its DEI program, the fast-food chain weathered a weeklong boycott spearheaded by liberal activist group People’s Union USA.
In response to the boycotts, McDonald’s said, “Our commitment to inclusion remains steadfast.”
Mr. Kamenar said his group is working to compel the disclosure of annual reports from companies to see if their actions match their rhetoric on DEI, or if it amounts to a relabeling of sorts.
It is also filing lawsuits to get companies to decouple executive pay from DEI goals.
“We’re not against companies doing outreach to sectors to look at a larger pool of applicants. But if they use that to try and hire based on minority status, they’re subject to being sued by an employee or applicant who wasn’t hired or state attorney generals who sent warning letters out,” Mr. Kamenar said.
Read the full article at the Washington Times.
(AI image above created via Grok)
