Multiple Republican lawmakers expressed their outrage this week after Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro posted a shocking thread showing how doctors and medical associations have embraced diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), signaling the possibility of action on the issue on Capitol Hill.
Shapiro’s thread, posted to X on Monday, dove into how some medical schools and doctors have pushed DEI in an effort to recruit more minority surgeons and stop hiring so many “walls of white men,” especially after the death of George Floyd and the ensuing riots in the summer of 2020. The Daily Wire editor emeritus said that his findings even show how some “top hospitals are abandoning key metrics when hiring surgeons.”
Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), a senior member of the House Subcommittee on Health, said in a statement to The Daily Wire that he plans to “lead the charge” against the issue in Congress.
“Americans deserve to know their medical professionals are the most qualified candidate available, that grants awards are based on the most promising outcomes, and that all patients are treated equally without regard to their race or political views,” the Florida congressman said. “As a senior member of the Health Subcommittee, I will be leading the charge to uphold this basic standard of care and hold those who violate it accountable.”
“There is no place for identity politics, discrimination and DEI in medicine – it risks lives,” Bilirakis said.
1/ DEI in medicine means that even if doctors injure patients, they might still be protected (even promoted). It means that top hospitals are abandoning key metrics when hiring surgeons. And it means research by whites may be disregarded. Here’s what I've found… 🧵
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) February 26, 2024
Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC) said that “the law is very clear” about hiring practices that exclude anyone based on race or sex. In a video uncovered by Shapiro, Duke School of Medicine surgical resident Vignesh Raman celebrated treating a majority “non-white” population and suggested he and his team were trying to bring on more women and “non-white” surgeons. Raman also discussed how his “heart sinks” when he sees any of his patients wearing MAGA hats.
Bishop, who is running for North Carolina attorney general, said that racial discrimination in hiring practices in the name of DEI “will not be tolerated.”
“Fantastic journalism from @benshapiro @realDailyWire,” Bishop wrote. “DEI in medicine puts innocent lives at risk. When I’m AG, this blatant racial discrimination will not be tolerated.”
The North Carolina congressman, who is a former civil litigator, joined “Morning Wire” on Wednesday where he said he expects to see lawsuits filed against medical institutions that use DEI in their hiring practices.
Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) also reposted Shapiro’s thread on X, warning against DEI in health care.
“Health care is meant to save lives and find the best of the best — not promote the latest in leftist ideologies that put patients in harm’s way all to meet an arbitrary ‘quota,’” he wrote.
Duke has not commented on Shapiro’s investigation that uncovered Raman’s DEI discussion, but following Shapiro’s thread, the original videos featuring Raman that were posted on YouTube have been taken down.
Multiple political commentators and influential figures, including billionaire Elon Musk, also expressed their concern after Shapiro released the findings of his investigation. Shapiro’s thread has now been viewed over 32 million times and reposted over 7,000 times.
“DEI puts the lives of your loved ones at risk,” said Musk.
“Black surgeon here. This is insane,” wrote former Trump administration official Dr. Ben Carson. “If we are going to save lives, we must keep identity politics out of the medical field.”
Former sports anchor Sage Steele — who sued ESPN alleging the network retaliated against her for making negative comments about the COVID vaccine — added, “The last sentence in the final tweet of this must-read thread should scare all of us: ‘Medical error is the third leading cause of death in the US’ … yet these universities & hospitals are more concerned about DEI than hiring the most qualified person for the job??!!”