JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Biden administration plan to promote diversity and equity in workplace apprenticeship programs is facing pushback from Republican attorneys general in two dozen states who assert it amounts to race-based discrimination.
The U.S. Department of Labor contends its proposed rewrite of the National Apprenticeship System rules — the first since 2008 — would modernize and diversify on-the-job-training programs while improving their quality and protecting new workers.
But the proposed rule change has become the latest example of political divisions over perceived fairness and opportunity in educational institutions and workplaces. While President Joe Biden and many Democratic-led states seek to require greater consideration of diversity, equity and inclusion, many Republican elected officials are seeking to eliminate such initiatives.
“We should not let race-obsessed ideology interfere with an important and successful apprenticeship program,” Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said in a statement on behalf of 24 states that submitted comments opposing the proposal by a Monday deadline.