Submitted by United States Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana
WASHINGTON (Apr. 11, 2024) – Senator John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Budget Committee, today introduced the Embracing anti-Discrimination, Unbiased Curricula and Advancing Truth in Education (EDUCATE) Act to block federal funding for medical schools and accrediting institutions that force students to affirm ideological beliefs and prioritize Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI).
“Woke universities are forcing America’s future doctors to care more about race and gender than saving lives. The EDUCATE Act would make sure taxpayer dollars don’t fund medical schools that discriminate against talented students or peddle progressive nonsense at the expense of science,” said Kennedy.
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) is co-leading the legislation.
“The medical field has traditionally been one driven by core tenants of merit, academic excellence, and superb scientific achievement, but that has not stopped the left from their malpractice of injecting DEI into every aspect of education in America. To cheapen medical schools with woke politics and DEI would be to put the lives of countless Americans in danger as students of extraordinary achievement and meticulous discipline in the field will be cast aside in the name of social justice and equity,” said Schmitt.
Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.) introduced the legislation in the House of Representatives.
“American medical schools are the best in the world and no place for discrimination. The EDUCATE Act compels medical schools and accrediting agencies to uphold colorblind admissions processes and prohibits the coercion of students who hold certain political opinions. Diversity strengthens medicine, but not if it’s achieved through exclusionary practices. Medicine is about serving others and doing the best job possible in every circumstance. We cannot afford to sacrifice the excellence and quality of medical education at the hands of prejudice and divisive ideology,” said Murphy.
The EDUCATE Act would block federal funding from medical schools that:
- Direct, compel or incentivize students, faculty or staff to affirm or adopt certain ideological tenets.
- Take any action that would deprive a student of educational opportunities or otherwise adversely affect his or her status as a student on the basis of race or ethnicity.
- Require a course of instruction that directs or compels students, faculty or staff to affirm or adopt certain ideological tenets.
- Maintain a DEI or equivalent office within the medical school.
- Require or incentivize an individual to complete a diversity statement that affirms or capitulates to DEI as a condition of the person’s being admitted to or employed by a school.
Full text of the EDUCATE Act is available here.
