Montco Doubles Down On DEI Funding As Trump Seeks To End Programs Nationwide

NORRISTOWN, PA — As President Trump's new administration attempts to dismantle diversity and inclusion initiatives nationwide, Montgomery County is doubling down on their efforts to build what they call greater fairness, respect, and inclusion.

The increased investment in the county's DEI office will include expanding the staff of one to five, with four new hires anticipated.

“Equity doesn’t happen by chance, it requires deliberate action and sustained commitment,” Commissioner Jamila Winder said.

While both Democratic commissioners, Winder and Neil Makhija, spoke in favor of the investment, their announcement did not include comment from Republican commissioner Tom DiBello. Since the three took office together, most major moves have some level of support from all three, including the recent efforts to end homelessness in Montgomery County.

The investment is, of course, also a statement of pushback from a local stronghold of the left, as Republicans at the federal and state level introduce sweeping changes to eliminate DEI programs. Following an executive order from President Trump in his first days in office, federal practices have already been changed. Many large corporations like Amazon and Meta, fearing lawsuits that will be heard in Republican friendly courts, ended their own programs before Trump even took office.

"Illegal DEI and DEIA policies not only violate the text and spirit of our longstanding Federal civil-rights laws, they also undermine our national unity, as they deny, discredit, and undermine the traditional American values of hard work, excellence, and individual achievement in favor of an unlawful, corrosive, and pernicious identity-based spoils system," Trump's executive order declared. "Hardworking Americans who deserve a shot at the American Dream should not be stigmatized, demeaned, or shut out of opportunities because of their race or sex."

Supporters of DEI push back strongly against this interpretation, of course, arguing that in a nation built upon slavery and led for generations by a single demographic, institutional racism prevents everyone from an equal opportunity at that dream.

Montgomery County's DEI office was established in 2021. The new hiring will allow the office to bring in two deputy chief DEI officers, a director of immigrant affairs, and a senior administrative assistant, the county said.

Specifically, officials said the increased funding and new positions will allow the DEI office to improve the use of data in strategic diversity initiatives, and to improve internal awareness of DEI issues and training efforts. County employees will receive more training on "equity-minded decision-making and unconscious bias," the commissioners added.