Giving Voice to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Principles

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois, Representative Jackson, for bringing us together for a discussion and dialogue on what is an essential wrongdoing of late by this administration: denying the opportunity, the concept, of DEI.

Across our great country, we are witnessing an onslaught of dangerous policies, executive actions, hateful legislation, and vile rhetoric, all designed to strip away rights, sow fear, and erase hard-fought progress.

The Trump administration has engaged in a calculated and relentless assault on diversity, equity, and inclusion across the Federal Government and beyond.

These harmful policies would eradicate programs that address persistent inequalities in American life. They would worsen systemic disparities in access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunity. They would restrict the right for Americans to exist as they are.

Our STEM education workforce has suffered because of sweeping cuts to DEI initiatives. Since January 2025, the Trump administration has made dramatic cuts to NSF programs, many aimed at broadening opportunity for underrepresented students in STEM education.

Of the 1,500 grants that NSF has canceled, nearly 90 percent had references to DEI.

One of those terminated grants was an NSF award at the University at Albany, which I represent in the 20th Congressional District of New York. Called Striving to Achieve Gender Equity in STEM, this program is essential. It aims to increase the number of women in STEM fields.

Just last month, the Department of Justice declared three Federal educational programs aimed at diversifying STEM as unconstitutional.

University at Albany has done great work with funding from the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation programming to develop inclusive teaching practices and increase participation by underrepresented students in STEM.

Terminating programs like this sends a clear signal by this administration of who is allowed to participate in science.

Upholding scientific integrity means protecting the independence of science and the civil rights of our scientific workforce.

Beyond attacks on our scientific education system, we have seen attacks on our historical institutions and museums in the name of anti- wokeness: from policing content at national parks and monuments, to removing artwork and displays referencing slavery, to attacking the independence of the Smithsonian and how stories are told.

This manipulation of history serves to consolidate political power by erasing marginalized voices and experiences and limiting whose humanity is considered valid.

DEI is not radical, wasteful, and certainly is not just an acronym or a policy. It means our histories, our stories, no matter how uncomfortable and challenging, continue to be shared. It means first- generation college students can join programs that connect them to research and open doors to new career paths.

Mr. Speaker, it is a commitment to removing barriers and expanding opportunity so that every person can succeed. It is a commitment we must continue to fight for, making certain that there is equity, inclusion, and diversity that brings the great diversity of this Nation into a celebratory moment, one that speaks to fairness and justice, to opportunity, to make certain that all people, no matter what their background, have a chance to succeed and share their talent with the American experience.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for bringing us together this evening. He is an awesome voice for fairness.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source