(LifeSiteNews) — Retail giant Costco is resisting growing pressure to abandon its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
After President Donald Trump resoundingly defeated Kamala Harris in his re-election bid last November, an increasingly number of major U.S. corporation have dropped pro-LGBT and other “diversity” policies.
Amazon, Target, McDonalds, Lowe’s, John Deere, Ford, Walmart, Toyota, and several others have all scaled back their support for DEI programs in recent months. Companies that have doubled down on them include Delta Airlines, JPMorgan, and Apple.
After being sworn in on January 20, Trump issued a number of executive orders that dismantle DEI programs in federal agencies and departments, including the military and education. The orders have been praised by anti-woke conservatives across the country and lawmakers are seeking to capitalize on the momentum.
This week, 19 Republican attorneys general sent a letter to Costco calling on them to suspend within 30 days “all unlawful discrimination imposed by the company” through its “divisive” DEI policies and to state if it fails to do so why they have not complied.
The effort was spearheaded by Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, who appeared on Fox News this week touting her efforts. She was joined by fellow GOP attorneys generals in Texas, Virginia, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, South Dakota, Tennessee, Louisiana, Idaho, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska and North Dakota.
Costco should follow its own motto and “do the right thing” by ditching DEI!
I was glad to join @FoxFriendsFirst this morning to talk about how I am leading 19 states in pushing back against Costco’s discriminatory, woke policies! pic.twitter.com/4JBrWSKg18
— Brenna Bird (@BrennaBird) January 29, 2025
On January 23, Costco shareholders voted 98 percent against the proposal put forward by the National Center for Public Policy Research to scrap DEI initiatives. The company’s board of directors had voted unanimously earlier in the month to urge shareholders to reject the proposal.
The disappointing vote comes as many social conservatives had previously credited Costco for not providing abortion pills at its pharmacies.
Left-wing agitator Al Sharpton held a press conference inside a Costco located in Harlem, New York, urging minorities to shop at the company while praising the company for upholding its woke policies.