'There Is No Reverse Gear For Prosperity': Raja Krishnamoorthi Praises DEI As Tool To Drive Economy

At a House Oversight Committee Hearing last week, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) delivered opening remarks about diversity.

Transcript

00:00Mr. Chair, thank you and thank you for convening this hearing. Despite this

00:05being the health care and financial services subcommittee of the oversight

00:09committee, I'm disappointed that the words health care financial services and

00:15oversight do not appear anywhere in today's hearing topic. Rather than

00:19conducting real oversight into the damage being done to our nation's

00:22health care systems, this subcommittee is once again failing to meet the moment.

00:27I can understand the majority's desire to change the subject. If I had to defend

00:32the big beautiful bill or what I call the large lousy law, I'd be looking for a

00:38distraction as well. It's easier to deflect than to face the truth. This large lousy

00:44law is cutting at least $625 billion from Medicaid, leaving millions without access

00:50to health care. It's taking food from children through cuts to snap. It's

00:55forcing thousands of veterans out of their homes by slashing affordable

00:59housing assistance. And not to mention, this bill adds so much to the nation's

01:04debt that CBO, the Congressional Budget Office, says the bill may trigger $500

01:10billion in automatic cuts to Medicare in addition to the cuts that are happening

01:16to Medicaid. It's no surprise that with the Senate Republicans making even deeper

01:21cuts to Medicaid in their version of what I call the large lousy law, this subcommittee

01:27is trying even harder to change the subject, holding a hearing not about health care, but

01:32how great it would be to pit Americans against each other and go after the concept of diversity.

01:40The majority believes diversity is a barrier to excellence, but I believe that it's in fact

01:46the key to achieving excellence in America. Diversity means lowering the barrier so

01:52everyone can compete. When we have competition, America benefits. Diversity means we have more

02:01competition in our workforce so our employers can perform better. It means more opportunities

02:06for small businesses. It means higher quality products and services, and ultimately it means

02:12lower prices. From consumers to taxpayers to employers, everyone wins when we expand opportunity

02:17and lower barriers to competition. This isn't theory, it's proven. Studies from across the political

02:24spectrum back it up. Indeed.com, the nation's largest online recruiter, found that diverse teams make

02:32faster, better decisions. McKinsey reported that companies with more women in leadership are significantly

02:39more likely to outperform companies with fewer women in leadership. Forbes found that diverse

02:45workplaces are essential to retaining top talent. Diversity means not giving someone an unfair

02:52head start and making sure, ultimately, that the race is not rigged. When I first ran for office in

03:00Illinois, I said my name is Raja Krishnamoorthy and instead was called Roger Christian Murphy. A t-shirt with

03:09that name now hangs in my office. Yes, it's funny, but it's also a pointed reminder that the whole

03:16point of diversity is that Raja Krishnamoorthy doesn't have to be Roger Christian Murphy in order

03:22to get ahead. Real competition and true opportunity drive economic success. That's why it's no accident

03:29that Illinois is one of just 13 states that sends more tax dollars to Washington than it receives in

03:35services. Illinois does this by fostering diverse talent and it invests in having the broadest

03:42opportunities for everyone. Those investments mean that Illinois ranks near the top nationally in

03:49economic performance, education, and quality of life, and Illinois is an engine of America's economy.

03:56Diversity is one of its drivers. There is no reverse gear for prosperity, and I will not go back to the

04:03days when the American dream was reserved merely for the privileged few. Thank you, and I yield back.