(The Center Square) – Wisconsin Republican lawmakers want to know exactly what diversity, equity and inclusion is doing in state government and what it is costing.
The Joint Legislative Audit Commission on Tuesday began an audit of DEI programs throughout the state’s executive agencies.
“I look forward this audit to uncover the monies spent and tactics used to achieve state-sponsored discrimination,” Sen. Erc Wimberger, R-Green Bay said at Tuesday’s hearing. “I will ask agency leaders if they think their departments are systemically discriminatory, and if so, what is the optimal percentage of an immutable characteristic to obtain equity.”
Wimberger opened the first audit hearing with a blistering rebuke of DEI, which he says is nothing more than a fancy term for discrimination.
“DEI is a neo-marxian philosophy meant to put one socially constructed class against another. When the identities in DEI relate to race or ethnicity, it is nothing short of rebranded ethnic nationalism,” Wimberger added. “DEI efforts seek to retrench Concepts from before the Civil Rights Acts, proposing that a person of a particular immutable characteristic ought to get what they deserve since discrimination against the individual is the way to achieving a preconceived group equity target.”
The head of the Department of Administration defended Wisconsin’s DEI mandates, saying looking for diversity is a lofty hiring goal.
“The governor recognizes that implementing best practices relating to efforts to support diversity, equity and inclusion in our workforce allows us to better recruit and retain talented staff, improve outcomes and deliver effective and efficient services,” DOA Secretary-designee Kathy Blumenfeld told Wimberger and other lawmakers.
Gov. Tony Evers’ spokeswoman Britt Cudaback took to social media Tuesday to accuse Republicans on the audit committee of playing games and adding to the culture war.
“[The audit vote is] most flagrant and sweeping example to date of Republicans’ efforts in recent years to weaponize[the audit committee] an entity that used to enjoy bipartisan credibility and support, to conduct purely ideological and politically-driven exercises at the behest of GOP committee chairs,” she said in a tweet.
Legislative Audit Bureau managers say an audit into DEI will take some time and be very expensive. The LAB says the audit likely won’t be complete until sometime next year.
Wimberger said he’s willing to wait.
“I don’t accept the premise of DEI,” Wimberger said. “I have not given up on a colorblind society. I choose to see others as peers who happen to have inconsequential physical traits, and not as an intersectional mix of immutable characteristics for social management.”
