FIRST ON FOX: Tennessee GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn despatched a letter Tuesday to Vanderbilt College Medical Middle (VUMC) calling on the medical faculty to adjust to President Donald Trump’s Govt Order on ending variety, fairness and inclusion applications at academic establishments.
The letter comes after VUMC reportedly took steps to cover a lot of its DEI sources versus eliminating them, following the president’s Govt Orders.
Shoppers Analysis, a conservative nonprofit that was following medical faculties’ responses to Trump’s orders on ending DEI found that VUMC was taking steps to cover a few of theirs behind password-protected internet pages. In response to criticism, a VUMC spokesperson instructed Fox Information Digital on the time that it was present process “an intensive evaluation” of its applications to determine “the place revisions could also be required to stay in compliance, together with updating info on web sites and different public platforms.”
VANDERBILT MED CENTER ‘HIDING’ DEI RESOURCES BEHIND PASSWORD-PROTECTED WEB PAGES: REPORT
In keeping with an up to date evaluation, VUMC’s Workplace of Variety and Inclusion web site stays behind a password-protected internet web page. Identical with the DEI internet web page on VUMC’s Division of Drugs web site, sources touting “local weather care is well being care,” and an internet web page for the college’s “Inaugural Local weather Change Motion & Sustainability Summit.” Different sources which had beforehand seemed to be hidden behind password protected internet pages – relatively than deleted – corresponding to a YouTube video about “The Conflict on DEI,” seem to have been deleted since criticism over the matter was unleashed in opposition to the college.
Conservative nonprofit Shoppers’ Analysis has unveiled a brand new marketing campaign in opposition to Vanderbilt College Medical Middle, accusing it of hiding its DEI sources and local weather activism behind password protected internet pages on-line. (iStock)
“Workplaces such because the Workplace of Well being Fairness, the Workplace of Variety and Inclusion, and the Workplace for Variety Affairs are seemingly nonetheless energetic,” Blackburn mentioned in her letter. “These workplaces have advocated for ‘collectively addressing systemic inequities’ and ‘confronting structural racism.’” Among the many priorities of this program, was to rent “numerous biomedical researchers,” Black burn identified.
Blackburn additionally famous that VUMC was the recipient of greater than $66 million this fiscal 12 months from the Nationwide Institutes of Well being – alone. In the meantime, VUMC has invested over $17 million to assist its “DEI and Belonging Program,” she mentioned.
“This is just one of many examples of VUMC investing in DEI initiatives as a substitute of lifesaving medical analysis,” Blackburn’s letter continued. “Moreover, VUMC’s monitor report on embracing dangerous woke initiatives is grim,” Blackburn added. “VUMC has beforehand carried out sex-change surgical procedures on minors earlier than suspending this system after public outrage.”
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“This is just one of many examples of VUMC investing in DEI initiatives as a substitute of lifesaving medical analysis,” Sen. Blackburn’s letter to Vanderbilt College Medical Middle acknowledged. (GETTY IMAGES/FOX NEWS)
VUMC was investigated by Tennessee’s Legal professional Normal’s Workplace in 2023 amid allegations that a physician at VUMC was manipulating medical billing codes to evade insurance coverage coverage-limitations for transgender therapies. The investigation adopted a video launched in 2022, which allegedly confirmed a VUMC physician touting transgender surgical procedures for minors as “big cash makers” and telling anybody with a spiritual objection to offering them ought to stop.
“President Trump has been clear on this subject. His current government orders accurately prohibited DEI applications at federally funded analysis establishments and ended the popularity of gender id aside from organic intercourse,” Blackburn concluded in her letter.
“As a beneficiary of federal funding, VUMC has a accountability to align with the President’s government orders and return to a deal with lifesaving analysis versus woke DEI initiatives. As a substitute of protecting up VUMC’s DEI initiatives, I urge you to adjust to President Trump’s effort to accountability allocate taxpayer {dollars} and instantly stop all DEI initiatives.”
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The Senator instructed Fox Information that “discriminatory” DEI applications, corresponding to these at VUMC, really serve to “do extra hurt than good.” She additionally urged VUMC to “put Tennesseans first” by totally complying with the president’s Govt Orders.
In a press release to Fox Information Digital on Tuesday, VUMC mentioned, “Vanderbilt College Medical Middle is eliminating all DEI applications and is totally complying with Govt Actions on DEI. Shortly after the Govt Orders have been issued, VUMC started eradicating associated content material on inner and exterior web sites to replicate the termination of those applications. VUMC will proceed to adjust to federal mandates and directives.”
