Desperate Schumer vows to make Dem Hill less white after minority groups threaten to cut funding

Rachel Stoltzfoos, DCNF

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is pushing a package of new rules to promote diversity Tuesday, as some minority outside groups and lobbyists threaten to cut off funds to the Democrat Party if they see real change on this front.

Schumer will ask Senate Democrats to adopt “extensive” rules that include a requirement to interview at least one minority applicant for future senior job openings in Senate offices, Politico reports. He’s also vowed to start publishing statistics on a Senate website dedicated to diversity that hosts a resume bank for potential minority staffers.

Minority groups have pressured Democrats on this matter for years with little results, and some are now threatening to cut off funds if they don’t see real progress, reports Politico Playbook. A 2015 report found 93 percent of Hill staffers are white, and only one top Democrat staffer was black, although about a quarter of the party’s vote comes from black people. Other studies show a similar disparity, to the consternation of these minority groups and lobbyists, who believe Hill staff should reflect the diversity of the population they represent.

The so-called “Rooney rule” requiring offices to interview at least one minority applicant is seen as particularly important in getting minority staffers in the job pipeline, as some who are hired in turn will be responsible for other new hires in their office.

“We must ensure Senate be more reflective of our country’s diverse population,” Schumer said in a statement on the new rules. “Expanding the diversity initiative, following the Rooney rule and dedicating ourselves to increasing diversity are important steps we can take to help achieve that goal and better serve our country.”

Follow Rachel on Twitter

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].

DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW

Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!

Success! Thank you for donating. Please share BPR content to help combat the lies.

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

BPR INSIDER COMMENTS

Scroll down for non-member comments or join our insider conversations by becoming a member. We'd love to have you!

Latest Articles