Attack on Science - Expunging Diversity Equity and Inclusion Programs in Government Agencies and Institutions with Government Grants and Contracts

President Trump has signed a swath of executive orders attacking science this week.

What Happened: The Trump Administration Placed all staff working in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs across the government on administrative leave with pay. They also indicated that institutions and companies that work with the government need to ensure they are not implementing DEI programs internally.

Why This Matters: Eliminating DEI programs is a broad attack on science because the scientific programs in federal agencies and entities working with government agencies need the skills and perspectives of scientists from as diverse backgrounds, cultures, and experiences as possible. Eliminating programs specifically intended to bring into government individuals from different races, ethnicities, and backgrounds who have been historically excluded from positions in science and government directly undermines the scientific enterprise that urgently needs those skills. And, to impose that restriction on external agencies such as universities and contracting organizations making long-needed efforts to recruit their workforce from the broader population, this government action directly attacks strengthening the science enterprise itself. The directive from the administration also may cause federal grantees to stop research related DEI and has likely led to the cancelation of some scientific advisory committee meetings.

The Details

The rhetoric from this administration and its far-right supporters is that DEI programs confer an “unfair” advantage for people who would be less competitive on their merits. This is a nonsense argument because it presumes that the system, without efforts to ensure fairness, would be based only on a candidate’s abilities. Of course, that isn’t how the system has worked historically unless the critical abilities are to be a) white, b) male, c) straight, d) friends or known to others in a position to make decisions and e) white. That isn’t just an assertion; the data back it up very clearly.

Some years ago, I listened to a seminar from a very senior academic talking about diversity in academia. He stated that the system of hiring in all the universities that he was familiar with was totally merit-based, and there was no bias in recruiting faculty. At the end, I asked him about his students. He said that about half of his students were women, and they were “excellent.” I then asked how many were hired into faculty positions. He paused and said he thought there was one. So, I asked if that was a merit-based system. He was annoyed. And I felt good about that.

Of course, the same implicit bias has occurred across many different institutions, including the government, for those who have been discriminated against for decades and still are. DEI programs don’t reverse that discrimination, they seek to change its results to the benefit of science everywhere.

Canceling those programs weakens the work of scientists everywhere. Elite institutions, public and private universities, and non-governmental and governmental scientists. Science, the public, and society itself lose out when talented scientists are excluded because they aren’t from a group that has dominated for far too long.