Republican lawmakers are buying into the idea that diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives are inhibiting the response to the California wildfires and other natural disasters.
As Elon Musk and other right-leaning influencers have criticized the efforts to contain the wildfires that began last week, there’s been an uptick in using the diversity of first responders to attack Democrats and the way they run areas they govern. That includes members of Congress, where Republicans have latched on to the narrative.
“Absolutely … very often we hire people not based on their qualifications, but some other social engineering issue, or some idea that they think that we got to fill these boxes,” Republican Rep. Barry Moore told NOTUS when asked if DEI has played a role in natural disaster response. “But I think that you have to put in the best people, regardless of color, skin, socioeconomic background, education, sex.”
Donald Trump has repeatedly blamed California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democratic officials for the wildfires in the state. He’s also threatened to withhold disaster aid from the state in the past, concerning Democrats that he’ll follow through this time around.
But the attacks on DEI mark a shift in Republicans’ approach to natural disasters. Several individuals have even been singled out in the Los Angeles Fire Department, including Kristine Larson, who heads the department’s Equity and Human Resources Bureau and has been blamed for prioritizing the department’s DEI efforts instead of disaster planning. Larson participated in the International Association of Fire Chiefs Diversity Executive Leadership Program, “which aims to advance DEI within the fire service,” according to the department’s website.
Fire Chief Kristin M. Crowley, the first LGBTQ+ fire chief in the department’s history, has also been among those getting outsize attention from right-wing commentators.
In a statement to NOTUS in response to questions regarding the criticism, the LA Fire Department said that it is “entirely focused on mitigating the fires and ensuring the safety and well-being of our community.”
“We are proud of the diverse team of dedicated professionals who work collaboratively to lead and serve this department,” the statement said.
Regina Wilson, former president of the New York-based United Women Firefighters, told NOTUS that this rhetoric could discourage women and members from marginalized groups from joining the profession.
“When everyone always talks about lowering a standard, it’s always connected to women and people of color,” Wilson said. “Not understanding or taking really into consideration that white fighters have been in front of and behind the same lowering of standards of people who have graduated out of these fire academies.”
The powerful winds in the state, along with the hot temperatures and limited resources, have made the wildfires difficult to stop. The fire has caused catastrophic damage across the region, killing at least 24 people and burning more than 30,000 acres of land. It is estimated to have resulted in more than $200 billion in damage.
Republicans say that the department’s leadership personifies Democrats’ misplaced priorities.
“The distraction and energy that soared by DEI initiatives has most certainly impacted first-responding forces across the country, including disaster response and recovery, law enforcement and firefighting,” Republican Rep. Clay Higgins told NOTUS. “America has grown past that whole era.”
Not all Republicans on the Hill pointed to DEI as relevant to natural disaster response. Republican Rep. Kevin Hern told NOTUS that it’s too early to draw any conclusions on what’s impacted the California wildfire response.
“I’m not sure how people can make that connection at this point in time,” Hern said. “Again, I think we got to see how that all started, verify that and look at the complete damage. People are losing their lives right now. We need to be sympathetic and think about that.”
Sen. Ted Cruz told NOTUS that “of course” DEI is impacting natural disaster response and pointed to his podcast, where there’s “40 minutes of content of me explaining why.”
In the podcast, he repeats a popular and false talking point that “the top three officials in the LA Fire Department appointed by the mayor are all lesbian women, and they’re all named Kristine.”
“It’s almost a ‘Saturday Night Live’ skit if ‘Saturday Night Live’ was willing to make fun of such things,” Cruz said.
Cruz acknowledged that “there are incredible heroes right now in the LA Fire Department who are risking their lives,” but he added that the wildfires are a consequence of politicians putting “their own radical politics ahead of doing their basic job.”
While there’s been an escalation in their rhetoric, Republican lawmakers have routinely used DEI to blame Democratic leaders for natural disasters and deadly events. Following Trump’s July assassination attempt, Republican Reps. Tim Burchett, Glenn Grothman and Michael Cloud challenged then-Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle on the agency’s DEI efforts.
Last year, Utah Republican state Rep. Phil Lyman blamed Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s prioritization of diversity for the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on diversity efforts, later posting “DEI = DIE” on his social media account.
“Each instance is different,” Sen. Ron Johnson told NOTUS on distinguishing if someone has been hired as part of a DEI initiative or for their experience as a first responder. “But again, you need to hire the most qualified people. I’m not sure that happens with DEI.”
Democratic lawmakers were quick to dismiss any possibility of DEI impacting natural disaster response. Sen. Mazie Hirono told NOTUS the comments were “ridiculous” and added that the “culture wars” are getting in the way of ensuring that the California firefighters have the necessary resources.
“The Republicans have decided that attacking DEI at every level is their argument for anything that they disagree with,” she said. “It’s all DEI. It’s the fault of all these people who support diversity. What is there to be afraid of?”
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Torrence Banks is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.