White House grilled on flow of taxpayer dollars to government DEI programs
FIRST ON FOX: A group of House Republicans is demanding the White House provide a full accounting of U.S. taxpayer dollars going toward diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., wrote to President Biden’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Shalanda Young on Friday morning, arguing it is important for the House to have those calculations on hand as lawmakers start crafting federal spending bills to fund the government in the next fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.
"As Congress begins work on fiscal year 2025 appropriations bills, it is important that we know whether the administration is spending the American people’s hard-earned taxpayer dollars on divisive Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs," Burlison wrote.
The letter was signed by nine other House Republicans.
Among the details they are seeking are the names and funding allocations for any government DEI programs in fiscal years 2022, 2023 and 2024, as well as what the administration is seeking for those efforts in 2025.
They are also looking for the total number of full- and part-time positions within the federal government that have to do with DEI, and any job listings advertising open roles.
The letter similarly requested "the names of all potential programs in the planning or development stages that would address diversity, equity, inclusion, the prioritization of non-merit-based hiring or management, and/or similar concepts at each executive branch department and agency, if implemented."
Burlison accused the Biden administration of trying to "embed DEI" into multiple facets of the federal government.
"The Biden Administration has made clear that one of its main priorities is to embed DEI ideology into every facet of American society and the federal government. DEI programs are an affront to everything we believe in as Americans," Burlison told Fox News Digital.
"Instead of uniting us, they divide us and pit American against American. We need to know exactly how much of the American people’s hard-earned taxpayer dollars are being wasted on DEI programs so that we can defund them along with other wasteful and divisive spending."
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.