Sen. Eric Schmitt talks DEI

CATO INSTITUTE PANEL

Sen. Eric Schmitt, the junior senator from Missouri, participated in a panel discussing the effects of diversity, equity and inclusion policies, or DEI, that have become a hot-button issue across the nation.

The panel was hosted by the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank founded in part by Charles Koch, and included Schmitt and Erec Smith, a research fellow at the Cato Institute and Associate Professor of Rhetoric at York College of Pennsylvania.

In Missouri, lawmakers have targeted DEI policies by proposing legislation last year that would prohibit government entities from engaging in business with companies that included diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in their policies.

The bill ultimately failed after Missouri lawmakers in the Senate saw that it was effectively cripple government operations, as even the electric companies that powered the state capitol building included DEI as part of their business policies.

In the 2024 legislative session, lawmakers revived the fight against government dollars going to fund DEI initiatives, but those bills have made little progress through the Missouri General Assembly and are unlikely to pass before the end of the legislative session.

During his time as Missouri attorney general, Schmitt led multiple crusades against Missouri school districts, including Springfield Public Schools, which he sued over Sunshine Law requests related to diversity, equi

During his time as Missouri attorney general, Schmitt led multiple crusades against Missouri school districts, including Springfield Public Schools, which he sued over Sunshine Law requests related to diversity, equity and inclusion policies allegedly used in faculty training.