{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.menendez.senate.gov/newsroom/press/menendez-brown-warren-slam-implementation-of-trumps-executive-order-prohibiting-diversity-and-inclusion-trainings", "Menendez, Brown, Warren Slam Implementation of Trumps Executive Order Prohibiting Diversity and Inclusion TrainingsRead More", "2020-12-17", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "NJ", "Robert Menendez", "M000639", "www.menendez.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON,\r\nD.C.  U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and\r\nElizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) today led a letter to the Office of Management and\r\nBudget (OMB) opposing the implementation of President Trump's recent Executive\r\nOrder prohibiting federal agencies, contractors and grant recipients from using\r\nworkplace diversity and inclusion trainings that promote divisive concepts. In an OMB memo,\r\nDirector Russell Vought said trainings that include terms such as systemic\r\nracism, white privilege and unconscious bias are likely included in that\r\nprohibition. As a result, many entities, including hospitals, community health\r\ncenters, colleges and universities, and non-profit organizations that hold\r\ncontracts with the federal government have cancelled or delayed their\r\ntrainings. The Executive\r\nOrder and the Administration's implementation actions to date are already\r\nstifling much-needed efforts in our states to reduce racial and sex-based\r\ndiscrimination. There is widespread uncertainty regarding the scope of the\r\nExecutive Order, and some entities have cancelled their diversity and inclusion\r\ntrainings altogether out of fear of losing federal funding, the Senators\r\nwrote in a letter to OMB Director Vought. Given that the ongoing COVID-19\r\npandemic has exposed our nation's stark racial inequities and other health\r\ndisparities, the Administration should focus on reducing racial and sex-based\r\ndiscrimination rather than engaging in ill-informed political stunts. We urge\r\nyou to immediately halt your efforts to implement this propagandist and deeply\r\nharmful Executive Order. The lawmakers\r\npointed out that legitimate diversity and inclusion training would not promote\r\nrepugnant ideas such as the inherent superiority' of a particular race and\r\nthat a training that promoted those ideas are already illegal under\r\nlongstanding anti-discrimination laws. The Senators then slammed the\r\nAdministration for showing a complete disregard and misunderstanding of the\r\nracial equity movements in the country. However, by equating\r\nthe acknowledgement of unconscious bias or systemic racism with claims of\r\nracial superiority, the Administration is purposefully sowing confusion and\r\nfear about our country's growing diversity and recent political movements in\r\nsupport of racial equity, the lawmakers wrote. By creating vague and\r\nillogical requirements, the Administration is effectively discouraging entities\r\nfrom offering diversity and inclusion trainings altogether, which we fear is\r\nthe underlying goal of this misguided effort. The letter was\r\nalso signed by Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Sheldon\r\nWhitehouse (D-R.I.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Amy\r\nKlobuchar (D-Minn.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Tammy\r\nBaldwin (D-Wisc.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.),\r\nTim Kaine (D-Va.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Dick Durbin\r\n(D-Ill.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Jack Reed\r\n(D-R.I.). A copy of the\r\nletter can be found here and below. Dear Mr.\r\nVought, We write\r\ntoday to express our profound opposition to President Trump's recent Executive\r\nOrder on Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping. The Executive Order and the\r\nAdministration's implementation actions to date are already stifling\r\nmuch-needed efforts in our states to reduce racial and sex-based\r\ndiscrimination. There is widespread uncertainty regarding the scope of the\r\nExecutive Order, and some entities have cancelled their diversity and inclusion\r\ntrainings altogether out of fear of losing federal funding. Given that the\r\nongoing COVID-19 pandemic has exposed our nation's stark racial inequities and\r\nother health disparities, the Administration should focus on reducing racial\r\nand sex-based discrimination rather than engaging in ill-informed political\r\nstunts. We urge you to immediately halt your efforts to implement this\r\npropagandist and deeply harmful Executive Order. On September\r\n22, 2020, President Trump issued Executive Order 13950, which claims to combat\r\noffensive and anti-American race and sex stereotyping and scapegoating by\r\nprohibiting federal agencies, contractors, and grant recipients from using\r\nworkplace training programs that promote divisive concepts. According\r\nto the Executive Order, such concepts include that one race or sex is\r\ninherently superior to another race or sex and that an individual should be\r\ndiscriminated against or receive adverse treatment solely or partly because of\r\nhis or her race or sex. In your September 28, 2020 memorandum instructing the\r\nheads of executive departments and agencies on implementation, you stated that\r\nthe Executive Order likely prohibits trainings that use terms such as systemic\r\nracism, white privilege, and unconscious bias. Legitimate\r\ndiversity and inclusion training for federal employees, contractors, or\r\nfederally supported entities would not promote repugnant ideas such as the\r\ninherent superiority of a particular race  and in fact such a training would\r\nalready be illegal under longstanding anti-discrimination laws. However, by\r\nequating the acknowledgement of unconscious bias or systemic racism with claims\r\nof racial superiority, the Administration is purposefully sowing confusion and\r\nfear about our country's growing diversity and recent political movements in\r\nsupport of racial equity. By creating vague and illogical requirements, the\r\nAdministration is effectively discouraging entities from offering diversity and\r\ninclusion trainings altogether, which we fear is the underlying goal of this\r\nmisguided effort. Additionally, the Executive Order is unclear about its\r\napplicability to federal grantees, creating widespread uncertainty among state\r\ngovernments and other federal grant recipients. Indeed, the\r\nExecutive Order and your subsequent memorandum have exerted a chilling effect\r\non both federal agencies and the many entities in our states that receive\r\nfederal funding. The Department of Justice and the Department of Health and\r\nHuman Services halted all diversity and inclusion trainings for managers and\r\nemployees. The Health Resources and Services Administration has reportedly\r\nfrozen funding for some state-run implicit bias trainings for hospitals and\r\ncommunity health centers. Some colleges and universities paused or cancelled\r\ntheir diversity and inclusion trainings and other diversity-focused events out\r\nof fear of jeopardizing their federal funding. Companies and non-profit\r\norganizations that hold contracts with the federal government cancelled or\r\ndelayed their trainings. By\r\ncontinuing to implement this misguided policy during the final days of\r\nPresident Trump's Administration, your agency is discouraging and needlessly\r\npoliticizing critical efforts to end racial and sex-based discrimination. Once\r\nagain, we urge you to immediately cease implementing this illogical and harmful\r\nExecutive Order. Thank you for your prompt consideration of this urgent matter\r\nno later than December 23, 2020. Sincerely,  \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.menendez.senate.gov/newsroom/press/menendez-brown-warren-slam-implementation-of-trumps-executive-order-prohibiting-diversity-and-inclusion-trainings"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.21141311340034, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}