LDF Policy Director Responds to Markup of Dismantle DEI Act

Read a PDF of our statement here.

Today, the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability held a business meeting to discuss the Dismantle DEI Act of 2024, which was introduced by Representative Michael Cloud. Vice President-Elect JD Vance introduced an identical bill in the Senate earlier this year.

Demetria McCain, Director of Policy at the Legal Defense Fund, shares the following statement in response to today's meeting:

"The markup of the Dismantle DEI Act is a window into the deceptive tactics and harmful policies some congressional members will deploy next year and beyond. While supporters of this bill argue that they are working toward a colorblind society, the bill is actually a thinly-veiled attempt to turn the federal government into an engine of social and economic segregation-one that will leave Black communities and other communities of color, women, LGBTQ+ communities, and other marginalized and underrepresented groups on the sidelines looking in."

"True prosperity in America will only come if everyone has a seat at the table. It will not come from denying veterans and people with disabilities the resources needed to start a business or by keeping people in rural communities from accessing reliable internet services. And it surely will not come from keeping talented Black students and professionals out of schools and workplaces. The Dismantle DEI Act would prevent the accurate teaching of history, destroy paid internships and resource groups for workers and students from communities of color, threaten equal pay for women, and weaken the ability of our federal workforce to serve everyone in our increasingly multi-racial society. These are not conditions that will allow the country to compete globally."

"It's clear that the incoming administration is ready to roll back civil rights on day one. This distortion of antidiscrimination laws through misinformed bills like the Dismantle DEIA Act makes this evident. It's going to take all of us to ward off the intensified attacks coming our way in the next few years. We stand ready."

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Founded in 1940, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is the nation's first civil rights law organization. LDF's Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the Legal Defense Fund or LDF. Please note that LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957-although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights.