Texas Ag Chief Declares “War” on TDA vendors with DEI Policies

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller announced on Tuesday that he is “going to war” against so-called “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) — and against “diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility” (DEIA) policies.

Miller said he directed the staff of the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) — that he heads — “to cease doing business with vendors or subcontractors who promote, maintain, or enforce biased, prejudiced, and unfair DEI or DEIA polices based on race, color, sexual preference, religion, or national origin.”

Note: The TDA administers (for Texas) 12 federal nutrition programs — including the school lunch/breakfast, summer meal and child/adult care food programs.

“During the four years of the Biden Administration, these dangerous policies were allowed to infect all aspects of our federal government, major corporations, financial institutions, the medical industry, and institutions of higher education,” Miller’s statement says.

Miller’s announcement follows a series of attacks on DEI by Republican leaders this month, most notably by President Trump — who on his first day in office on Jan. 20 — signed an Executive Order, titled “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing.” Trump then directed that all federal DEI staff be placed on paid leave and eventually, laid off.

Also, earlier this month:

Gov. Abbott announced that he wants to extend — to K-12 schools — the public college/university DEI ban passed by the Legislature in 2023.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton — joined by about a dozen other state attorneys general — warned major financial institutions that certain DEI and/or environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitments could lead to “enforcement actions if they are found to violate state or federal law.”

Miller most recently made news when it was revealed that he hired back a former aide who had pleaded guilty to a bribery charge, at a salary of $218,582.