Jessica Guynn

Hi, Taylor. Great being here.

We are seeing the priorities of Republican controlled legislatures across the country begin to mirror the priorities of the Trump administration in Washington. And that includes the president's agenda on diversity, equity and inclusion. We've seen a new wave of anti-DEI bills in state capitals, and these bills are not just targeting higher education.

I talked with public policy observers who all noted this uptick in legislation. By one count, 25 states are considering 101 measures that would restrict DEI in state and local governments. other publicly funded institutions. And so far this year, nine states have enacted anti-DEI laws and nine more have passed a bill through at least one chamber. Wow.

Well, fighting DEI was a top issue for Trump voters. So we are seeing red states align themselves with the Trump administration. In his first few months in office, the president has purged diversity initiatives in the federal government and the military.

He's threatened to strip billions of dollars in federal funding and grants from universities, and he has pressured major corporations to roll back diversity initiatives. So we're seeing state lawmakers borrow a page from that playbook.

Well, for years, diversity initiatives have come under fire in red states, and we've seen legislation that mentions DEI or critical race theory. In fact, we did a USA Today analysis of data and found that in 2022, those terms appeared for the first time in bills introduced in 12 states.

And since then, we've seen dozens of bills targeting universities and state governments drafted by anti-DEI think tanks and foundations. And this was all very much in response to DEI initiatives embraced after George Floyd's murder in 2020 and designed to redress historic patterns of discrimination and exclusion in the workplace.

Trump took on DEI at the end of his first term, and he seized on this issue during his presidential campaign. And Just hours after taking the oath of office, he issued his first executive order targeting DEI.

Well, Democrats are worried that anti-DEI legislation will harm local and state government workers and the communities they serve. So they're advancing pro-DEI measures and amendments to anti-DEI legislation. They're also pushing back against what they say is a false narrative from Republicans that merit-based hiring and DEI are mutually exclusive.

DEI is not about giving advantages to people because of their gender or skin color. but making sure people are considered on objective criteria. In other words, their true merits and aren't denied equal access to opportunities because of their identity. And that's essentially their argument.

Thanks so much for having me, Taylor.