(The Center Square) – The co-chairs of Wisconsin’s Joint Legislative Audit Committee announced there will be a public hearing at 1 p.m. on Wednesday at the state capitol about two audits on the costs of diversity, equity and inclusion programs in Wisconsin government.
An audit of Wisconsin state government agencies spent $2.4 million on the salary and costs of 47 employees related to DEI while a second audit showed the University of Wisconsin system spent $40.2 million on offices with duties related to DEI, though the amounts spent specifically related to DEI were not specified.
“These new reports show millions of dollars spent to propagate hateful rhetoric to divide Wisconsinites in our halls of government and universities,” co-chairs Eric Wimberger, R-Oconto, and Rep. Robert Wittke, R-Caledonia, said in a statement. “The agencies and colleges pushing these DEI initiatives need to be held accountable. We look forward to shining a light on these wasteful practices at next week’s hearing.”
The audits were completed on April 11 after being approved and ordered by the committee in May 2024.
The audit showed that the UW System spent $12.5 million related to salaries and compensation for roles that have DEI functions while an estimated $7.9 million was spent working on DEI activities related to a DEI checklist.
The audits were intended to investigate the costs of a November 2019 executive order signed by Gov. Tony Evers requiring each state agency to develop a DEI plan.
The government agency audit found that 21 state agencies completed DEI action plans between January 2020 and April 2024 with 1,212 combined DEI actions taken in those agencies.
