Drummond targets DEI, urging Stitt and Gatz to seek waiver from discriminatory DBE Program
OKLAHOMA CITY (Sept. 24, 2025) – In his latest move against divisive and illegal "diversity, equity and inclusion" (DEI) programs, Attorney General Gentner Drummond is urging Gov. Kevin Stitt and Oklahoma Department of Transportation (DOT) Director Tim Gatz to seek a waiver from the discriminatory and unlawful race-and-gender-based presumptions in awarding contracts under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program.
Drummond said it is indefensible that Stitt and Gatz have so far refused to seek a waiver a full nine months into the Trump Administration.
“President Trump has made clear through multiple executive orders and other official statements that his Administration will not tolerate ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’ (DEI) preferences,” Drummond wrote, going on to quote from the President's January 21 Executive Order: “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.”
Drummond noted in the letter that arbitrarily narrowing the pool of eligible businesses increases costs for Oklahoma taxpayers.
"Not only are these preferences discriminatory, they also are extremely costly to Oklahoma taxpayers," Drummond wrote. "By narrowing the pool of eligible competitors, the bidding process becomes by definition less competitive, driving up the cost of public projects."
Separate from the letter, Drummond said he reviewed a breakdown of recent bid letting from ODOT that shows over $30 million in DBE "goals" for a wide range of projects.
This is not the only action Drummond has taken against DEI programs recently. He criticized board members of the Oklahoma Housing Finance Authority for discriminatory DEI practices in awarding certain funds, calling on Gov. Stitt to remove them. Drummond said he is not aware of the Governor having taken any action to remove the board members or prevent them from discriminating in the future.
"We clearly have a DEI problem in Oklahoma, but the Governor doesn't seem interested in fixing it," Drummond said. "I will continue to fight against unlawful discrimination throughout our state. As Attorney General, I have a duty to uphold the law and protect Oklahomans from illegal discrimination. I hope the Governor will eventually join me in this fight because it will take both of us to fully end DEI in Oklahoma."
