Press Releases

Today, Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA), President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, reintroduced the National Security Diversity and Inclusion Workforce Act, legislation that would promote diversity in federal national security offices. Connolly was joined by Reps. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), and Joaquin Castro (D-TX).
 

“Diversity is a unique source of strength for American society, our economy, and our national security,” Connolly said. “The same is true for the federal workforce. Our government is at its best when its workforce truly reflects the American people it serves. We have to look no further than President Biden’s historically diverse administration for evidence of that. I look forward to partnering with his administration and with federal employee advocates to promote greater diversity within federal agencies.”

The National Security Diversity and Inclusion Workforce Act would codify that a diverse U.S. national security workforce is a strategic asset, enhancing our nation’s capabilities and global leadership. Specifically, it would require each national security agency to make available to the public, appropriate congressional committees, and the national security agency workforce a report on its diversity and inclusion efforts. The legislation also encourages agencies to expand development and career advancement opportunities for its workforce.

A January 2020 Government Accountability Office report found that racial or ethnic minorities in the Department of State’s Civil Service were 4 to 29 percent less likely to be promoted than their white coworkers with similar education, occupation, or years of federal service, and that the proportion of racial or ethnic minorities and women was lowest at management and executive levels. The proportion of women and ethnic minorities among the State Department’s full-time, permanent workforce actually declined relative to the U.S. population in the period from FY 2002 to FY 2018.

Text of the legislation is available here.