(The Center Square) — New Hampshire officials are taking steps to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives following President Donald Trump’s executive order putting a stop to DEI programs in the federal government.
Republicans who control the New Hampshire Legislature have filed several bills for consideration in the current session that would do away with state government DEI programs and prohibit using taxpayer dollars for programs aligned with those policies.
One proposal would shut down the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Health Equity, which, according to the state agency, is responsible for ensuring “equitable access” to the department’s programs and services, with a focus on “racial, ethnic, language, gender and sexual minorities, and individuals with disabilities.”
It would also eliminate the Governor’s Advisory Council on Diversity and Inclusion, which was created in 2017 by former Republican Gov. Chris Sununu to review state laws, regulations, policies and procedures to address discrimination.
“These programs ought to be considered both unlawful and unconstitutional, as they represent affirmative discrimination by the government based on various mostly immutable characteristics,” state Rep. Mike Belcher, R-Wakefield, the bill’s sponsor, said in recent testimony before a House committee. “Thankfully, these concepts have now been roundly rejected by the American people, and the citizens of New Hampshire, at the ballot box.”
To be sure, Sununu issued an executive order shortly before leaving office last month rescinding the directive creating the advisory panel, along with 100 other previously issued orders. However, Belcher said the state needs to root out any existing DEI programs to comply with Trump’s executive order.
His proposal would also block the state from using funds for projects identified as “health equity” and prevent the state Department of Environmental Services from using funds for “civil rights and environmental justice” projects.
In testimony opposing the bill, officials from both agencies argued that the proposal could jeopardize millions of dollars of federal funding that flows to the state for complying with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin.
However, Belcher argues that the state stands to lose federal funding by not following Trump’s executive order on DEI programs.
“The federal government has declared these programs be discriminatory and unlawful,” he said in testimony. “They’re not merely opining. What they’re saying is that a failure to abide by their declarations may result in enforcement actions … which could open up the state to lawsuits.”
Shortly after taking office, Trump signed an executive order stating that the new administration is “terminating radical DEI preferencing” in the federal workforce and contracting and spending.
“Federal hiring, promotions, and performance reviews will reward individual initiative, skills, performance, and hard work and not, under any circumstances, DEI-related factors, goals, policies, mandates, or requirements,” the order states.
Last week, the New Hampshire Department of Education sent an advisory to public school administrators recommending that they review any diversity and equity programs to ensure they comply with Trump’s mandates prohibiting such programs at the federal level, warning that federal funding could be jeopardized.
School administrators should “carefully evaluate whether existing DEI-focused training, programs or curriculum materials utilized in their districts align with the new federal directives and consult with legal counsel to ensure that districts are complying with state and federal law,” the advisory states.
