Oklahoma's Attorney General Gentner Drummond has recently intensified his opposition to diversity initiatives by requesting that Governor Kevin Stitt and Department of Transportation Director Tim Gatz apply for a waiver from a program he deems discriminatory, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program, as reported by Oklahoma Government Newsroom.
Drummond's claims highlight President Trump's stance against DEI, citing the President's executive orders and public statements, and he stresses these initiatives not only conflict with federal civil-rights laws but also disparately impact the spirit of meritocracy and inflate costs for local taxpayers; insisting, "By narrowing the pool of eligible competitors, the bidding process becomes by definition less competitive, driving up the cost of public projects," according to correspondence obtained from the Oklahoma Government Newsroom.
The Attorney General negates the value of DBE goals, which have been set at over $30 million for a variety of state projects and brands these goals as ineffective and unfairly high-priced for the citizens, though no direct correlation between the DBE program and an increase in costs has been explicitly provided in Drummond's assessment.
Additionally, Drummond has voiced criticisms beyond infrastructure contracting tactics, declaring war on DEI efforts within the Oklahoma Housing Finance Authority and calling on the Governor to replace board members whom he accuses of practicing discrimination when awarding funds, but Drummond also acknowledges that Governor Stitt has yet to take public action towards this request; thus Drummond in his comments shared by the Oklahoma Government Newsroom, reasserting, "I will continue to fight against unlawful discrimination throughout our state. As Attorney General, I have a duty to uphold the law and protect Oklahomans from illegal discrimination. I hope the Governor will eventually join me in this fight because it will take both of us to fully end DEI in Oklahoma."
The Governor's office and Oklahoma Department of Transportation have not yet publicly responded to Drummond's recent statements or his call for a waiver from the DBE program.
