Rep. Hageman Introduces Bill to Remove DEI Selection Criteria from Federally-Funded Research Initiatives

Washington, DC – Yesterday, Congresswoman Hageman introduced the Abolishing Woke Awards for Research and Development (AWARD) Act to the 118^th Congress. The AWARD Act will ensure the National Institutes of Health (NIH) distributes research grants and awards through a merit-based system, as opposed to the current diversity, equity, and inclusion-based criteria used to allocate federal funds.

Representative Hageman stated, “The billions of taxpayer dollars allocated to the NIH should be used to fuel impactful, groundbreaking scientific research, not to satisfy gender and racial employment quotas. The Biden Administration’s countless DEI-first actions have undermined the concepts of meritocracy and meaningful research, and American ingenuity and innovation has suffered as a result.

“The AWARD Act addresses these failures by requiring the NIH to use selection criteria based on the research to be done, not the social demographics of those conducting it, when awarding federal funds. Universities will have to explain how their proposals will benefit the nation, not demonstrate how inclusive or diverse they are. I’m proud to introduce this bill that will ensure taxpayer money is allocated in an evidence-based, mutually beneficial way, not as yet another tool weaponized in favor of the Radical Left’s social and political agenda.”

Background:

• Each year the National Institutes of Health awards roughly $30 billion to universities and other research programs across the country.
• Many NIH programs, such as the Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation (FIRST), have directed hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars towards DEI-centric research projects and hiring practices. As part of a FIRST program application, recipients must provide “diversity statements” and those who demonstrate a colorblind approach are penalized.
• In pursuit of these funds, multiple colleges have adopted extreme evaluation criteria and ideological practices. For example, one-third of the University of New Mexico’s evaluation criteria is devoted to an applicant’s “DEI Knowledge” and “DEI Track Record”, the University of South Carolina’s selection process seeks to prioritize critical race theory, and a joint University of Texas at (UT) Dallas-UT Southwestern Medical Center proposal seeks to “become the public face of DEI for the Dallas metro area”.

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Contact: Chris Berardi, Sr. Advisor/Communications Director