WASHINGTON—Today, The Heritage Foundation published a new report titled “How the State Department’s Discriminatory DEI Programs Undermine U.S. Diplomacy and Betray American Values.” The Left’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) agenda has infiltrated the State Department and sabotaged recruitment, efficiency, and morale within the agency. The report exposes how this radical ideology appears within the State Department and offers solutions to counter it.

Simon Hankinson, Senior Research Fellow at The Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center, former Foreign Service Officer, and author of the report stated:

“Ideologically driven bureaucrats at the State Department are severely undermining U.S. diplomacy by artificially engineering equal outcomes in hiring and personnel decisions, through overriding objective criteria.

“The world is on fire right now—as seen by the conflicts in Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. Yet, the State Department is wasting limited resources on an agenda that does not advance American interests and is not supported by data.

“My report lays out how the State Department can return to core American values and implement processes that prioritize merit-based principles. The American people deserve better.”

Below are some main takeaways from the report:

• Myth One: The State Department lacks and resists racial and gender diversity. In 2023, the State Department’s staff is largely reflective of American demographics and labor market realities.
• Myth Two: “Structural Barriers” prevent minorities from entering the Foreign Service. The State Department at present either does not produce, or does not publish, adequate data on racial disparities on taking and performance on the Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT). Such disparities are assumed without proof to be the result of discrimination, yet they drive policy.
• Myth Three: Promotions Are Biased Against Minorities and Women. There is no discernible disadvantage, in fact quite the opposite, in promotions within the Foreign Service for female or non-white officers.
• Myth Four: The State Department Has a “Hostile Climate” for Minorities. Statistics on promotion and internal complaints do not demonstrate bias against, or a hostile climate for, minorities at State.
• Myth Five: Minorities Leave Because of a Hostile Climate. Despite years of the same question being asked, there is no reliable data from which to determine an answer as to why individuals leave.
• The United States needs a professional Foreign Service whose members are selected through objective, meritocratic criteria and are accountable to the President.