Republican legislators launch audit of DEI activities in Wisconsin state agencies

MADISON – Members of the Legislature's Joint Audit Committee voted Tuesday on party lines to approve an audit of all diversity, equity and inclusion activities within the state's executive agencies — a move that runs counter to policies and priorities laid out by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.

State Auditor Joe Chrisman told the committee it will be a "large" audit, expecting the nonpartisan agency's work to go into 2025.

It's the latest clash among Wisconsin officials over DEI, months after the University of Wisconsin System agreed to cut its diversity programming in exchange for legislative approval of employee pay raises and building projects.

Evers spokeswoman Britt Cudaback called the vote "the most flagrant and sweeping example to date of Republicans’ efforts in recent years to weaponize (the Legislative Audit Bureau), 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."

"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," said Department of Administration Secretary-designee Kathy Blumenfeld during Tuesday's committee hearing.

Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, called for such an audit several months ago, ensuring that debates about equity and inclusion initiatives will extend into the state's next budget cycle.

"I think this idea that somehow DEI equals diversity is a fallacy," Vos told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in December 2023.

He said the audit should examine whether agencies use DEI programs to give "extra credit" to job candidates based on race.

"DEI is a neo-Marxian philosophy meant to pit one socially-constructed class against another. When the identities in DEI relate to race or ethnicity, it is nothing short of rebranded ethnic nationalism," said Legislative Audit Committee co-chair Sen. Eric Wimberger, R-Green Bay, ahead of Tuesday's vote.

In the same hearing, Sen. Tim Carpenter, D-Milwaukee, accused Republicans of "trying to drag up a boogeyman to try and get people to think a specific way" heading into an election cycle.

According to an LAB memo, the audit could examine specific activities performed in compliance with the governor's policies, analyze how much money agencies spend on those activities and review reported outcomes resulting from DEI efforts.

Jessie Opoien can be reached at jessie.opoien@jrn.com.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Republicans launch audit of DEI activities in state agencies