Lang
1/28/25
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird is calling out Costco for the company’s decision to continue its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives.
Shortly after his inauguration, President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling on corporations to drop DEI initiatives. Several companies including Amazon, Ford, John Deere, McDonalds, Meta, and Walmart have since complied. But shareholders for Costco, which has a location in Coralville, voted to keep the company’s DEI practices in place, issuing a statement that Costco’s “commitment to an enterprise rooted in respect and inclusion is appropriate and necessary.” The vote was initiated by the conservative think tank National Center for Public Policy Research, which wanted the company to compile a report on the risks associated with continuing DEI policies.
On Monday, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird joined attorneys general from 18 other states in calling for Costco to end its DEI policies. Bird wrote in a news release, “I’m putting Costco on notice to do the right thing and eliminate discriminatory DEI. No American should be denied an opportunity because they don’t fit the woke mold.”
The letter demands that Costco respond within 30 days to notify the 19 states that it has repealed its DEI policies or explain its failure to do so.