Red-state senator drops hammer on Dem mayor over new 'woke' DEI ordinance while violent crime surges

By Fox News · Fox News

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio , is demanding answers from Cincinnati’s mayor over a newly enacted city ordinance reorganizing procurement under a Department of Economic Inclusion and Procurement, arguing taxpayers should not be funding what he calls an expanding DEI bureaucracy that is potentially illegal. "Taxpayers should never foot the bill for woke DEI policies or initiatives," Moreno wrote in a letter to Cincinnati mayor Aftab Pureval on Thursday that was obtained by Fox News Digital. "Cincinnati's taxpayers deserve a government that rewards competence and merit, not politically driven quotas or preferences based on race or ethnicity." At the heart of the issue is a city ordinance approved by the Cincinnati City Council in June that creates a Department of Economic Inclusion and Procurement, which Moreno argues expands the city's DEI bureaucracy and could inject DEI considerations into the contracting process. According to city documents cited by Moreno, the restructuring would make the city's contracting process more efficient while preserving its focus on DEI. In the letter, which was also sent to the Justice Department , Moreno said the ordinance comes amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on DEI programs across the federal government and argued it "completely ignores" the Justice Department guidance warning against engaging in "unlawful discrimination." DOJ DANGLES MASSIVE SIGNING BONUSES FOR LAWYERS READY TO FIGHT ‘LAWLESS’ CITIES FAR BEYOND DC Since returning to office, President Donald Trump has made eliminating DEI initiatives a priority, signing executive orders to eliminate DEI programs and end DEI-related hiring and training practices, as well as directing agencies to review recipients of federal funding. "The days of choosing public contract winners based on excellence are back," Moreno wrote, adding that "the City of Cincinnati must be a better steward of public funds." SEATTLE COUNCIL MEMBER TOUTS ‘BLACK BUDGET,’ CALLS FOR BLACK RE…