Yeah, Right! White House Pushes Report Claiming DEI Hinders Productivity

Another day, another attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as the White House released a report claiming the practice of encouraging hiring managers on the basis of race hurts productivity by leading to inefficient management and undercuts economic growth, the Wall Street Journal reports.

“There is nothing inherently less productive about minority workers or minority managers,” the report reads. “The issue is rapidly promoting unqualified workers in order to meet racial quotas set forth by DEI.”

Authors of the report, released by the Council of Economic Advisers as part of the annual Economic Report of the President, pushed that civil rights-based legislation led to “reductions in discrimination [that] served as a boon to the U.S. economy” and based their claims on federal data broken down by industry, state and year in an effort to track Black, Hispanic and indigenous people representation within management roles – without covering gender, sexual orientation or Asian representation.

The study found the demographics rose by less than one percent between 2005 and 2015, then by four times that amount between 2015 and 2023. DEI opponents argue that such policies both unfairly and illegally discriminate based on race in addition to stigmatizing people from targeted groups who get jobs on merit. Senior White House leaders like Vice President JD Vance seemingly agree, claiming “DEI is evil” in a 2025 X post.

A lot of people think "DEI" is lame diversity seminars or racial slogans at NFL games. In reality, it was a deliberate program of discrimination primarily against white men. This is an incredible piece that describes the evil of DEI and its consequences:https://t.co/fMiIfvz0qz
— JD Vance (@JDVance) December 17, 2025

Since taking office last year, President Donald Trump has ramped up efforts to eradicate DEI in federal and private hiring and college admissions, and the report is likely to add additional context to the ongoing debate of its benefits. For years, DEI advocates have argued that such practices counter implicit bias that systemically holds back disadvantaged groups and helps companies relate better to their customer base in addition to unlocking hidden talent — especially in specific spaces like academia.

A study led by Colorado State University doctoral student Hanna McCaslin and members of Associate Professor Sara Bombaci’s lab found that a number of DEI initiatives in higher education are seen as widely effective by faculty and students. After surveying 611 respondents, including 328 faculty members and 269 undergraduate and graduate students, data revealed that DEI opportunities for educators only strengthen communities through individual practices that face minimal political scrutiny.

Opinions of effectiveness were consistent throughout identity groups. Some initiatives were valued a little higher by specific populations such as women and participants from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups who emphasized family care support and anonymous feedback systems, while women also highlighted the importance of equity in advancement and childcare.