As President Donald Trump has attacked diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives across federal agencies, Republican attorneys general in 19 states are calling on Costco to eliminate its DEI policies, arguing they constitute unlawful discrimination.
Last week, Costco's shareholders voted against a proposal to scale back DEI efforts, reaffirming the warehouse club's commitment to DEI.
The attorneys general sent a letter to Costco CEO Ron Vachris citing Supreme Court rulings rejecting ace-based preferences and emphasizing that all individuals should be judged on merit.
They noted that other major corporations like Target, Amazon, Walmart, Ford, Microsoft, John Deere, McDonald's and Meta have abandoned DEI. They claim the companies did it in response to legal concerns.
The attorneys general warned that companies continuing DEI policies could face legal risks.
They demanded Costco respond within 30 days on whether it will repeal its DEI policies.
The federal government abandoned DEI programs after Trump signed an executive order to eliminate them.
The crackdown included urging federal employees to inform the administration if there is any attempt to conceal diversity programs within their departments.
The State Department was informed that it can no longer observe Black History Month, as the department must focus on the "spirit" of anti-DEI orders.
A memo from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management announced the closure of DEI offices and programs, while DEI employees were put on paid administrative leave.
The same memo also directed agencies to remove social media profiles and webpages affiliated with DEI offices and cancel any related training sessions.
