Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., urged Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) to "end all DEI programs and fully comply" with President Donald Trump's recent executive order.
Trump last month signed an executive order directing that programs or activities receiving any remaining Department of Education funds do not advance DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) or gender ideology.
Blackburn on Tuesday sent a letter to VUMC President Jeffrey Balser regarding reports that the medical center has begun concealing its DEI programs instead of fully complying with Trump's executive action.
"For the benefit of Tennesseans and all Americans who rely on VUMC for lifesaving care and research, I urge you to end all DEI programs and fully comply with the President's executive action," Blackburn wrote.
"VUMC has recently scrubbed its website of references to DEI initiatives at the institution, going so far as to password protect web pages tied to DEI and climate activism. Concerningly, though, offices such as the Office of Health Equity, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and the Office for Diversity Affairs are seemingly still active. These offices have advocated for 'collectively addressing systemic inequities' and 'confronting structural racism.'"
Blackburn said "VUMC's track record on embracing harmful woke initiatives is grim, as VUMC has previously performed sex-change surgeries on minors before suspending the program after public outrage.
"VUMC has been the beneficiary of millions of dollars of federal taxpayer funds. In fact, so far this fiscal year, VUMC has received more than $66 million in NIH [National Institutes of Health] awards," she wrote. "In previous years, instead of using funding to advance core medical research, over $17 million has been invested in VUMC's DEI and Belonging Program, which was formed to hire 'diverse biomedical researchers.'
"This is only one of many examples of VUMC investing in DEI initiatives instead of lifesaving medical research."
News of Blackburn's letter came after two Ivy League institutions pushed back against Trump's order.
Harvard University announced on Monday that it would not comply with the Trump administration's demands to end DEI programs or expel anti-Israel demonstrators.
Columbia University's acting president then pledged not to allow the government to "require us to relinquish our independence and autonomy."
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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