Arizona Representative Andy Biggs introduced legislation Tuesday called the Stop Imposing Woke Ideology Abroad Act, which seeks to prohibit federal funding for the State Department’s Equity Action Plan (EAP).
“Using taxpayer dollars to fund the Biden Administration’s woke programs abroad is a complete misuse of federal funding and further strains our relationships with countries abroad,” Biggs said in a press release. “This legislation ensures we protect American interests and curb the Biden Administration’s detached social agenda abroad.”
The bill text states that upon its enactment, no federal funds may be used to carry out the EAP or for the salary and expenses of the Department of State’s Special Representative for Racial Equity and Justice. The bill is co-sponsored by five other House Republicans, including Arizona Representative Debbie Lesko (R-AZ-08).
“Americans have already rejected the Biden Administration’s radical social agenda, and yet it continues to try and force it on countries that have also rightly rejected it. Imposing woke ideology on other countries is just another example of the Biden Administration’s foreign policy failures,” Biggs said in justification of his new legislation.
The EAP, which Biggs targets, stems from one of President Joe Biden’s day-one Executive Orders, 13985, which sought to advance racial equity and support for “underserved communities” through the federal government. The plan outlines the Department “embedding racial equity and support for underserved communities in U.S. foreign policy development and implementation.” The plan states that “underserved communities” include class, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, and religion. Within America, the plan also involves working with local stakeholders to “reduce barriers hindering racial equity.”
As reported by Fox News, the plan could spend millions to boost foreign governments’ adoption of racial justice policies.
Furthermore, the Department of State appointed Desirée Cormier Smith as the Special Representative for Racial Equity and Justice in June. The Department outlined that Smith’s job will be to “lead our efforts to protect and advance the human rights of people belonging to marginalized racial and ethnic communities and combat systemic racism, discrimination, and xenophobia around the world.” Smith previously served as the senior advisor in the Department’s Bureau of International Organization Affairs.
Another Fox News report shared that many House Republicans were concerned about the special representative role. In a letter written by Indiana Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN-03), co-signed by Lesko and Arizona Representative Paul Gosar (R-AZ-04), the group presented its concerns to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (D).
“Our concern is that ‘Special Representative for Racial Equity and Justice’ will build on the Biden State Department’s track record of promoting Critical Race Theory ideology and that our adversaries like China will pounce upon any statements made by the appointee apologizing for America’s human rights record,” according to the letter.
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Neil Jones is a reporter for The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Neil on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Andy Biggs” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0.
