Show-Me State Times

U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO), who serves as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, will preside over a hearing aimed at addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs within the federal government. The session is scheduled for Wednesday, July 23, 2025, at 2:30 p.m. EST in Room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The hearing is titled “Ending Illegal DEI Discrimination & Preferences: Enforcing Our Civil Rights Laws.” Senator Schmitt stated, “DEI policies are divisive, radical, and undermine the meritocratic principles our nation was founded upon. They also violate our nation’s civil rights laws. I fought DEI when I was Attorney General of Missouri. Now, as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, I look forward to getting the American people the answers they deserve and working with the Trump Administration to finally put an end to the madness of DEI.”

Witnesses set to testify include Harmeet Dhillion, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Justice; Gene Hamilton, President of America First Legal; and Robert Stewart, State Senator from Alabama.

Recent actions related to this issue include President Donald Trump signing Executive Order 14151 on January 20, 2025, which aims to end DEI programs across federal agencies. In support of this executive order, Senator Schmitt introduced legislation known as the Dismantle DEI Act on February 4, 2025. Earlier efforts by Schmitt include introducing a bill in November 2023 called the Abolish Government DEI Act that seeks to eliminate DEI offices in more than forty federal entities.

A live stream of Wednesday’s hearing will be available online.