Sen. Invoice Cassidy’s document of supporting main laws that funded variety, fairness, and inclusion packages has emerged as a central difficulty in Louisiana’s 2026 Republican Senate main, the place Trump-endorsed Rep. Julia Letlow and Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming are difficult Cassidy.
Cassidy voted for 4 main items of laws that created federal variety workplaces, embedded fairness necessities, and, in some circumstances, funded packages later canceled or recognized by the Trump administration as DEI initiatives: the Fiscal 12 months 2021 Nationwide Protection Authorization Act, the Infrastructure Funding and Jobs Act, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Safer Communities Act.
Cassidy voted for remaining passage of the FY2021 Nationwide Protection Authorization Act and later voted to override President Donald Trump’s veto. The invoice created Chief Range Officers for the Division of the Navy, Division of the Air Power, and the Coast Guard. It additionally established a Division of Protection Range and Inclusion Advisory Council.
Cassidy additionally performed a number one position in writing and passing the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Funding and Jobs Act. Cassidy was one of many authentic ten senators who negotiated the invoice and have become its most outstanding Republican advocate.
The infrastructure package deal included a number of equity-related provisions. It created the $2.75 billion Digital Fairness Act, which directed broadband funding below standards tied to race and id. It additionally integrated the Biden administration’s Justice40 initiative, requiring 40 p.c of infrastructure advantages to stream to deprived communities below an fairness framework. As well as, the laws supplied $3.5 billion for direct air seize hubs with local weather fairness necessities hooked up to the funding.
The Biden administration later promoted the infrastructure invoice as “a chance to advance fairness in our nation.” Cassidy didn’t merely vote for the invoice after it was written; he helped negotiate and draft the laws that included these provisions from the outset.
Cassidy additionally voted for the $280 billion CHIPS and Science Act, which handed the Senate 64-33. The regulation directed the Authorities Accountability Workplace to stock federal analysis packages aimed toward minority-serving establishments, added diversity-related necessities all through the federal science funding framework, and created a Chief Range Officer place on the Nationwide Science Basis.
Support Greater and Subscribe to view content
This is premium stuff. Subscribe to read the entire article.
