{"id":25537,"date":"2023-06-13T20:51:13","date_gmt":"2023-06-13T20:51:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/06\/13\/official-defends-state-dept-diversity-efforts-from-gop-criticism\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T05:07:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T05:07:15","slug":"official-defends-state-dept-diversity-efforts-from-gop-criticism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2023\/06\/13\/official-defends-state-dept-diversity-efforts-from-gop-criticism\/","title":{"rendered":"Official defends State Dept. diversity efforts from GOP criticism"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The U.S. Department of State\u2019s first chief diversity\u202fand inclusion officer defended her office against criticism from House Republicans, who said at an oversight hearing Tuesday that such initiatives threaten the merit system and lower employment standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI believe that this office has a clever name that uses strong, emotional words \u2014 \u2018diversity,\u2019 \u2018equity\u2019 and \u2018inclusion\u2019 \u2014 but functionally does the opposite of what American has always stood for, which is simply, the best man [or] the best woman for the job,\u201d said Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman Brian Mast, R-Florida, during the hearing on the department\u2019s fiscal 2024 budget request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, the agency\u2019s outgoing CDIO, said diversity in the hiring process is critical to healthy recruitment and attrition levels. Reports have also indicated employment disparities over the years created a need for the department to scrutinize promotion processes; minorities in the civil service are 4% to 29% less likely to be promoted than their white counterparts with similar education and experience levels, according to a 2020 Government Accountability Office report<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe intend to attract, hire, promote, and retain talent and remove barriers that might keep some from rising as far as their talents can take them,\u201d Abercrombie-Winstanley said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the biggest changes to the State Department\u2019s hiring came in 2022,<\/a> when the Foreign Service moved away from a pass-fail exam and instead allowed an applicant\u2019s score to be one of several considerations. Republicans on the committee balked at that change and others, saying the department has prioritized who people are over what they can do.<\/p>\n\n\n\t