January 23rd, 2024
LANSING, Mich. — State Sen. Jim Runestad on Thursday sent a letter to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer demanding her administration follow President Donald J. Trump’s lead and “immediately halt all Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies related to hiring, training, and spending practices.”
“On Nov. 5, the people of Michigan voted to end this type of nonsense and return effectiveness and efficiency to government,” wrote Runestad, R-White Lake. “In replace of DEI, the state of Michigan should instead adopt Merit, Excellence, and Intelligence (MEI) initiatives. These practices would serve to strengthen the Michigan bureaucracy so that it can better effectuate the needs of the people.”
On. Jan. 20, Trump signed an executive order Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing. Runestad also pointed to the example of Gov. Mike Braun of Indiana, who last week signed an executive order ending DEI practices in favor of MEI metrics.
“If our governor truly has the presidential aspirations that many pundits predict, then she should start following the example of a real president,” Runestad said. “Voters sent a clear message in November. It is time to put an end to wasteful woke DEI social engineering experiments funded at taxpayer expense.”
Runestad said it remains unclear exactly how much state government currently spends on DEI because a significant number of DEI-designated employees across the state bureaucracy are in positions that remain hidden and unidentifiable in the budget. He warned the situation is potentially as bad or worse as it was at the University of Michigan, where nearly $250 million was spent on DEI activities prior to budget changes in December. back...
“On Nov. 5, the people of Michigan voted to end this type of nonsense and return effectiveness and efficiency to government,” wrote Runestad, R-White Lake. “In replace of DEI, the state of Michigan should instead adopt Merit, Excellence, and Intelligence (MEI) initiatives. These practices would serve to strengthen the Michigan bureaucracy so that it can better effectuate the needs of the people.”
On. Jan. 20, Trump signed an executive order Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing. Runestad also pointed to the example of Gov. Mike Braun of Indiana, who last week signed an executive order ending DEI practices in favor of MEI metrics.
“If our governor truly has the presidential aspirations that many pundits predict, then she should start following the example of a real president,” Runestad said. “Voters sent a clear message in November. It is time to put an end to wasteful woke DEI social engineering experiments funded at taxpayer expense.”
Runestad said it remains unclear exactly how much state government currently spends on DEI because a significant number of DEI-designated employees across the state bureaucracy are in positions that remain hidden and unidentifiable in the budget. He warned the situation is potentially as bad or worse as it was at the University of Michigan, where nearly $250 million was spent on DEI activities prior to budget changes in December. back...
