Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird vowed to “look at all available options” to ensure Costco is following federal and state laws as the retail giant clings to the last vestiges of DEI ideology eroding under President Donald Trump’s watch.
“We’re calling on Costco to ditch DEI and to follow our Constitution, to follow our civil rights laws and not pursue race-based or gender identity-based hiring practices. Those are illegal,” Bird, a Republican, said Wednesday on “Fox & Friends First.”
Attorneys general from 19 states, including the Hawkeye State, have put pressure on Costco to denounce DEI and reflect Trump’s recent executive order booting DEI programs out of federal agencies and warning private sectors to do the same.
“We have a letter that went to Costco from 19 states, including the great state of Iowa,” Bird continued.
“Costco needs to show us the proof that they are following the law because they have public statements that cause us great concern. Many other big retailers have changed their policies and are now following federal law, just like President Trump is doing with his executive orders rooting out DEI, so they need to show us they’re following the law.”
She said some reports point to Costco tying executive bonuses to DEI metrics and that the company head has indicated he will “persist in race-based hiring, based on skin color and also hiring based on gender identification.”
“Those are some big red flags. And then the board itself asked shareholders to vote down a proposal that would have looked at the risks of Costco continuing with their DEI policies. That’s litigation risk, based on Supreme Court precedent we have, the federal Constitution, state and federal civil rights laws, so they need to make sure they’re actually doing the right thing here. That’s what we’re keeping an eye on, and if they don’t, we’ll look at all available options.”
Costco Board Chair Hamilton E. James, however, has insisted that the company’s “commitment to inclusion” neither compromises merit nor includes quotas or systematic preferences.
OPINION: TRUMP’S WRITTEN DEI A GOVERNMENT DEATH SENTENCE. SCHOOL POLICIES SHOULD BE NEXT
“The demands of our business and our steadfast commitment to serve our members mean that we cannot afford to do anything but hire and promote the most qualified individuals,” he said last Thursday.
Costco’s Board of Trustees asked its shareholders to vote down a proposal challenging its DEI practices last month, the Hill previously reported, writing to investors, “Our success at Costco Wholesale has been built on service to our critical stakeholders: employees, members, and suppliers. Our efforts around diversity, equity and inclusion follow our code of ethics: For our employees, these efforts are built around inclusion – having all of our employees feel valued and respected.
“Our efforts at diversity, equity and inclusion remind and reinforce with everyone at our Company the importance of creating opportunities for all. We believe that these efforts enhance our capacity to attract and retain employees who will help our business succeed. This capacity is critical because we owe our success to our now over 300,000 employees around the globe.”
Fox News’ Jamie Joseph and FOX Business’ Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird vowed to “look at all available options” to ensure Costco is following federal and state laws as the retail giant clings to the last vestiges of DEI ideology eroding under President Donald Trump’s watch.
“We’re calling on Costco to ditch DEI and to follow our Constitution, to follow our civil rights laws and not pursue race-based or gender identity-based hiring practices. Those are illegal,” Bird, a Republican, said Wednesday on “Fox & Friends First.”
Attorneys general from 19 states, including the Hawkeye State, have put pressure on Costco to denounce DEI and reflect Trump’s recent executive order booting DEI programs out of federal agencies and warning private sectors to do the same.
“We have a letter that went to Costco from 19 states, including the great state of Iowa,” Bird continued.
“Costco needs to show us the proof that they are following the law because they have public statements that cause us great concern. Many other big retailers have changed their policies and are now following federal law, just like President Trump is doing with his executive orders rooting out DEI, so they need to show us they’re following the law.”
She said some reports point to Costco tying executive bonuses to DEI metrics and that the company head has indicated he will “persist in race-based hiring, based on skin color and also hiring based on gender identification.”
“Those are some big red flags. And then the board itself asked shareholders to vote down a proposal that would have looked at the risks of Costco continuing with their DEI policies. That’s litigation risk, based on Supreme Court precedent we have, the federal Constitution, state and federal civil rights laws, so they need to make sure they’re actually doing the right thing here. That’s what we’re keeping an eye on, and if they don’t, we’ll look at all available options.”
Costco Board Chair Hamilton E. James, however, has insisted that the company’s “commitment to inclusion” neither compromises merit nor includes quotas or systematic preferences.
OPINION: TRUMP’S WRITTEN DEI A GOVERNMENT DEATH SENTENCE. SCHOOL POLICIES SHOULD BE NEXT
“The demands of our business and our steadfast commitment to serve our members mean that we cannot afford to do anything but hire and promote the most qualified individuals,” he said last Thursday.
Costco’s Board of Trustees asked its shareholders to vote down a proposal challenging its DEI practices last month, the Hill previously reported, writing to investors, “Our success at Costco Wholesale has been built on service to our critical stakeholders: employees, members, and suppliers. Our efforts around diversity, equity and inclusion follow our code of ethics: For our employees, these efforts are built around inclusion – having all of our employees feel valued and respected.
“Our efforts at diversity, equity and inclusion remind and reinforce with everyone at our Company the importance of creating opportunities for all. We believe that these efforts enhance our capacity to attract and retain employees who will help our business succeed. This capacity is critical because we owe our success to our now over 300,000 employees around the globe.”
Fox News’ Jamie Joseph and FOX Business’ Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
