At a recent hearing of the House Rules Committee where members heard from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) regarding a proposal she had offered to overturn plans for tens of millions of dollars in funding for an office at the Department of Veterans Affairs called the Office of Resolution Management, Diversity & Inclusion, committee member Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.) expressed opposition.
Greene characterized the office that she was targeting as a promoter of so-called woke ideologies, though Republicans and those clamoring against the “woke” mindset have sometimes faced criticism for stumbling in attempts to systematically define the supposedly damaging worldview that they’re discussing. In general, Republicans have recently been only further building their opposition to a wide range of offices and initiatives that reference diversity and inclusion, so Greene’s ploy to strip funding from this VA office fits the Republican trend. Diversity, equity, and inclusion — or DEI, as it’s been known — has become a Republican target.
“We’ve made some progress in recent years on addressing issues of harassment and discrimination in the military and in the VA,” Scanlon observed, discussing Greene’s proposal. “And this would eliminate the agency that tracks and resolves complaints of sexual or racial or religious discrimination or harassment, everything ranging from assaults and unwanted touching to publication of pornographic images. So I think this is a gross overreach.”
Greene herself has recently faced criticism for sharing adult images of the president’s son Hunter Biden during a hearing in Congress. Hunter Biden has also been a favored target for Republicans, though he has shown no indication of an interest in pursuing public office, unlike the family members of former President Donald Trump who already did hold positions of public trust — and who Republicans have been accused of essentially avoiding in their House majority investigations. Greene’s amendment targeting that VA office is now listed online as withdrawn. Watch Scanlon’s recent comments below:
Scanlon: I had a look at the VA’s office that the gentlelady from Georgia is trying to zero out… This would eliminate the agency that resolves complaints of sexual, racial, or religious discrimination or harassment.. everything from assaults to publication of pornographic images pic.twitter.com/nqFeoP96Eo
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 25, 2023
