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Dem AGs say DEI is A-Okay

In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed Executive Order 11246, “Equal Employment Opportunity,” which prohibited employment discrimination by federal contractors and mandated "affirmative action" to promote equal employment opportunities.

So, in practice, contractors could no longer discriminate against applicants unless, of course, those applicants were white and could be sacrificed at the altar of this notion of "affirmative action."

Now, while the original intent of “affirmative action,” as articulated by President Kennedy, was to require government contractors “to ensure that applicants…and employees are treated…without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin,” over the years, the concept has metastasized into this insidious force we now call diversity, equity, inclusion and (recently) accessibility (DEIA).

And, if we're being honest, we all know that DEI initiatives have had quite the opposite effect of the "without regard" aspiration.

Since returning to the Oval Office, President Trump has issued three major executive orders aimed at putting that mess back in its box.

He signed the very first on Inauguration Day. Executive Order 14151, "Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing,” directs the Office of Management and Budget to terminate all mandates and activities related to DEI.

The following day, Trump signed EO 14173 "Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity," which rescinded Johnson’s EO 11246 and directed federal agencies to eliminate DEI programs, asserting that such initiatives foster "preferential treatment" and deviate from merit-based hiring practices. That order led to the immediate closure of federal DEI offices and the suspension of related funding.

Finally, last Monday, the President signed an EO entitled “Restoring America’s Fighting Force," which is intended to eliminate DEI initiatives within our nation’s military and defense establishment, asserting that such programs discourage merit and leadership, as they discriminate based on race and sex.

Amen.

Yesterday, 13 Democrat state attorneys general responded by issuing a joint statement condemning the executive orders, as well as President Trump’s suggestion that DEI practices may have contributed to Wednesday’s deadly plane crash over the Potomac River.

According to the Advocate, “There was no evidence to back up his assertion.”

(We’ll get to that shortly.)

First, let’s focus on the smorgasbord of silliness in the AGs’ statement.