ICYMI: Congresswoman Simon Fights Back Against Republican Attacks to Equity, Delivers Opening Statement at House Oversight Committee Task Force Hearing on “Combatting DEI in American Institutions”

July 15, 2026 Press Release WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the House Oversight Task Force on Defending Constitutional Rights and Exposing Institutional Abuses held a hearing on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies in public institutions. As the top Democrat on the Task Force , Congresswoman Simon highlighted Republicans’ true purpose behind attacking equity policies – to divide, distract, and entrench power. She highlighted systemic inequities and the need for policies that mitigate centuries of inequitable circumstances. In case you missed it, Congresswoman Simon’s opening remarks can be found below. “Before I begin my opening statement, in thinking about this hearing and thinking about the recent passing of one of my core mentors, I have been thinking about Dr. Clarence Jones, who was the attorney and speechwriter for Dr. Martin Luther King. Mr. Jones, for many folks who have followed the Civil Rights Movement, has been a seminal and clear voice of what is in front of us as a nation. I think of him. I think of his words and his teachings as we move through today's conversation. “I'm so thankful that we are all here to have the conversation. And I do also think that it's extremely appropriate that we're meeting today, just two weeks after the Supreme Court struck down Donald Trump's effort to redefine what it means to be an American, because that's the real issue at stake today. That's what we're talking about today. Who counts, who belongs and who deserves a seat at the table. “The question before us is simple. Will we welcome Americans who look and pray and love or think differently? Or will we turn our backs on the diversity that has always made this country stronger? “Mr. Chairman, these questions, we know, are not new. Throughout our history in this country, these arguments have been made by people convinced that they were defending America. “When Strom Thurmond held the floor on this campus for 24 hours against the Civil Rights Bill, he insisted that he hated no one and that he was only ‘defending the Constitution.’ George Wallace claimed he was ‘preserving order’ when he said segregation now, segregation tomorrow, and segregation forever. “In 1956, 101 members of [the House of Representatives] stood and signed the Southern Manifesto, insisting that school desegregation was unconstitutional. Yes, school desegregation was unconstitutional . And let me just say that one more time -- it was 101 members of the United States Congress who stood firmly with the ideals listed out in the Southern Manifesto. “They believed that they were on the right side of history. And that's not ancient history. That's the world that my own mother was born and raised in, in the deep rural South. I raised this history, Mr. Chairman, because the arguments before us today, this morning, are from a mirrored pattern . “Now, let me say something about the three letters [DEI] at the center of today's hearing. Our Chairman cited those three letters as a pretext for discrimination. That's not been the experience and the institutions that I've served and some that I've run. Those three letters meant ensuring that a veteran had the desk that they needed, that they could use. That disabled veteran rallied for accommodations, and they got it. It means a first- generation student who needed a mentor, and a worker who knew how to report the abuse that they had received, and they were heard. “None of that is quota. None of that takes a seat for anyone. The law forbids discrimination, and it forbids it for all of us, every single one of us in this room today. The majority will speak about fairness, but fairness means recognizing that for most of our history, there was one group of Americans who had been ushered to the front of the line. That is not hyperbole. That is fact. “After generations, that head start began to feel something like an inheritance and sharing that opportunity feels like loss. But acknowledging that head start, removing those barriers and expanding opportunity -- it's not discrimination. When someone sees a few more chairs at the table and calls it a takeover, we hear discomfort. That opportunity is no longer reserved for those who have always, and already, had it, but the opportunity belongs to every American. “Wealthy and powerful people want to weaponize that discomfort, to divide us, to divide you, to distract you, and to entrench the power that they still hold behind the scenes. But justice does not diminish anyone. It simply makes room for everyone. “If my colleagues truly cared about the thumb on the scale, the record is waiting. Black workers with the same credentials are still hired, this is fact, and paid less, with the same credentials [as] their white counterparts. Students from the wealthiest 1% of families in this country are more than twice as likely to attend top colleges than their middle-class counterparts with similar test scores. That is fact. “At Harvard, a study found that three out of four legacies, donors, staff, recruited athletes, those admits would not have been admitted without those preferences. That's a thumb on the scale, the heavy thumb on that scale has always been pressed for folks who needed it the least. “So, I have a question, as I close, for every single witness that has come here today and the ones that will follow: if fairness is truly your principle, are you prepared to challenge every unfair advantage? Or only the efforts designed to expand opportunity for those folks who have too often been left out? “ Now, I love this country enough to tell the truth about it. “The signers of the 1956 Southern Manifesto against school desegregation were lawyers, and they were statesmen and electeds as well, sure of their footing, and the record kept their names. The record kept their names to place a count on what they chose. There will be a record of this morning as well, read one day by people who will never, never meet our faces. And they'll know, exactly what side we chose to defend. I've chosen mine. Mr. Chairman, I yield back.” Oversight Democrats on the Task Force, led by Congresswoman Simon, will examine systemic barriers and unlawful discrimination in employment, education, housing, and healthcare; fight for the protection of essential services and programs; fight for guaranteed access to critical goods despite political pushbacks; and ensure the right of all Americans in having a fair shot to contribute to their nation. ### Issues : Equality, Racial, and Social Justice