The Biden State Department is requesting an additional $76 million budget allocation from Congress to fund its initiatives related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, describing the matter as a priority for national security.

In her role as chief officer for diversity and inclusion at the State Department, Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley testified before Congress on Tuesday morning, arguing the funds would allow her to hire new employees, monitor the racial and gender composition within the department and maintain records of employee reports concerning discrimination, harassment, and bullying.

She wrote in her testimony:

As you know, Secretary Blinken has an agenda to modernize the State Department to address our national security challenges with maximum effectiveness. These modernization efforts include: building capacity and expertise in critical mission areas; encouraging innovation; modernizing technology and data usage; reinvigorating our relationship with risk; and recruiting, retaining, and empowering a diverse workforce. This makes getting DEIA right a national security priority.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) is an integral part of the Secretary’s modernization agenda, and the BidenHarris Administration believes diversity of thought, background, perspective, and lived experience must be at the policy-making table. The Department needs an inclusive workforce with equitable opportunities to ensure our foreign policy is as strong, smart, and creative as it can be.

Abercrombie-Winstanley’s office confirmed it had conducted an audit of State Department employees to acquire demographic data pertaining to “race, ethnicity, gender, disability status, grade, rank, and job series skill codes.” She indicated that her office intends to publish a yearly report that monitors the “trend lines” of department employees.

However, the initiative was roundly criticized by Republicans, including Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability, who denounced it as “mandating division” within the department:

This office has a clever name that uses strong emotional words — diversity, equity, inclusion — but functionally does the opposite of what America has always stood for, which is very simply the best man, the best woman for the job.

This office is giving people the impression or given many people outside of the State Department the sense that it is looking for a preferred race or at minimum not white, that it is looking for a preferred religion or at minimum not Christian, or that it is looking for a preferred sexual orientation or identity or at minimum not straight male.

Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO), the ranking member of the subcommittee, said he was “appalled” by Mast’s statement which he claimed was historically ignorant. Said Crow:

Those who want to talk about merit also want to ignore the history of this country. They want to ignore the fact that the playing field is not level for vast swaths of our country because that is not a convenient fact for them.

DEIA initiatives remain central to the Biden administration’s political agenda, with practically all government departments now required to buy into ideas such as positive discrimination and diversity quotas. In February, Biden signed an executive order requiring all federal agencies to create “equity leadership teams” as well as releasing yearly “action plans.”

On Saturday, the White House held a “Pride” event featuring dozens of LGBT influencers and activists. Among them was the transgender Tik Tok influencer Rose Montoya, who caused outrage after posing topless for a photograph. A Biden spokesperson later denounced the move as “inappropriate and disrespectful.