Beatty Bill to Terminate Trump Executive Order
WASHINGTON, D.C.— U.S. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03), Chair of the House Financial Services Diversity and Inclusion Subcommittee, recently introduced a bill (H.R. 8595) to invalidate Executive Order 13950 and preserve diversity and inclusion training programs at federal departments and agencies as well as in the private sector. Beatty's bill has the backing of 23 Members of Congress.
On September 22, 2020, President Donald Trump issued Executive Order 13950, "Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping," rolling back diversity and inclusion training programs within all federal departments and agencies, the U.S. uniformed services, and among federal contractors and subcontractors and certain federal grant recipients. The order also established within the Department of Labor a hotline for the investigation of complaints and requires the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) to craft a request for seeking information from federal contractors, subcontractors, and their employees regarding the training, workshops, or similar programming provided to employees, under the threat of termination of any existing contract and preclusion of future contracting opportunities.
"As the first-ever Chair of the Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion, I have focused our bipartisan work on highlighting the tremendous impact of a more inclusive U.S. economy and workforce," Beatty said. "In hearings throughout the 116th Congress, the Subcommittee has received testimony from industry leaders and experts acknowledging the correlation between diversity performance and the bottom line. Diverse organizations are more profitable, pose less regulatory risk, and strengthen our economy." She added, "That is why I strongly oppose Trump's divisive attempt to cement racism as the practice and policy of the federal government and call on all Americans to join me in this effort because this Executive Order is antithetical to the values we hold so dear as a nation."
Of note, on September 18, 2020, Beatty sent a letter to the Trump Administration expressing her opposition to Executive Order 13950. Prior to that, during a Diversity and Inclusion Subcommittee hearing in early September, the Offices of Minority Women and Inclusion (OMWIs) directors testified that diversity and inclusion training programs at their respective financial regulatory agencies are a critical tool for fostering greater inclusivity, mutual respect and acceptance of all employees in the federal workforce.