Parents Defending Education founder calls Biden admin's spending spree on DEI in schools a 'slap in the face'

Parents Defending Education founder Nicki Neily called the Biden administration's decision to spend over $1 billion on diversity, equity and inclusion [DEI] programming and training in America's schools "heartbreaking" and a disservice to America's students.

"We're at a time when 40% of American students can't read, and this is how the Biden-Harris administration chose to fritter away hard-earned American taxpayer dollars. It's really a slap in the face," Neily told "Fox & Friends First" on Friday.

Researchers at Parents Defending Education looked through nearly four years of grants awarded by the Biden administration from 2021 to present and found that the Biden administration spent hundreds of millions of dollars on diversity, equity and inclusion grants for students and schools.

According to the report, $489,883,797 was spent on grants for race-based hiring; $343,337,286 went toward general DEI programming; and $169,301,221 went to DEI-based mental health training and programming, totaling $1,002,522,304.81 spent in all. 

BIDEN EDUCATION DEPARTMENT SPENT OVER $1 BILLION ON DEI GRANTS: REPORT

The U.S. Department of Education spent at least $1 billion on grants advancing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in hiring, programming and mental health training in America's schools since 2021, according to a new report. (Getty Images)

BIDEN-HARRIS ADMIN PUSHED MORE THAN 500 ‘DEI ACTIONS’ ACROSS GOVERNMENT, REPORT FINDS

Examples in the report include a $3,974,496 grant given to the School District of Philadelphia for a restorative justice program headed by a former Communist Party USA member; a $4,000,000 grant given for a 3-week residential "culturally responsive" computer science summer camp for 600 11th- and 12th-graders; and a $38,000 grant to a Michigan school district for a one-day professional development training by an equity consultant, along with copies of the consultant's book.

Neily argued that DEI is harmful because it "pits people against each other" and labels people as either "oppressed" or "oppressors."

She cited a recent study from the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) and Rutgers University which found that there were significant increases in hostility and punitive attitudes among participants exposed to DEI pedagogy.

"So these are hurting American children, it's not helping anyone. It's hurting them," she told Fox News.

Data from the National Center for Education Statistics indicates nearly one-third of U.S. public schoolchildren were behind grade level at the end of the 2023-2024 school year. (iStock)

Texas, Florida and several other states have introduced or passed legislation banning DEI in higher education. Neily said universities should be aware that DEI is on its way out with the incoming Republican administration.

"These programs need to be completely eradicated. And I think over the next four years we're going to have a major clean-up effort," she predicted.

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Elon Musk, Co-Chair of the newly announced Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), arrives on Capitol Hill on Dec. 5, 2024 in Washington, D.C.; Vivek Ramaswamy, chairman and co-founder of Strive Asset Management, arrives to meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024.  (Left: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Right: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Vivek Ramaswamy, whom President-elect Donald Trump tapped to help lead his incoming advisory board for cutting government waste, also reacted to the report on X.

"This is worse than just wasteful," Ramaswamy said on X.

Musk and Ramaswamy have both signaled support for dissolving the entire Department of Education, an idea that Trump ran on during his presidential campaign. Linda McMahon has been nominated to lead the department in 2025 by Trump.

Kristine Parks is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Read more.