In Madison, Wisconsin, audits conducted by Republican lawmakers have unveiled that state agencies and the University of Wisconsin (UW) system have not effectively monitored the millions spent on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. This lack of oversight has complicated the evaluation of these programs. This revelation comes amid ongoing efforts, both nationally and within Wisconsin, spearheaded by former President Donald Trump and state Republicans, to curtail support for DEI initiatives. The findings are predicted to amplify the Republican push to dismantle DEI programs.
Particular attention has been directed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the system’s premier campus. Earlier this year, UW-Madison terminated La Var Charleston, its chief diversity officer, citing financial mismanagement, including sanctioning significant pay raises and approving extensive travel expenses. The university is among 50 nationally under scrutiny by Trump for potential racial discrimination tied to DEI programs. Additionally, federal education officials are currently investigating UW-Madison alongside 60 other institutions for allegedly failing to protect Jewish students during protests over the Gaza conflict last year. University officials have expressed their cooperation with these investigations and reiterated their stance against all forms of antisemitism.
The audits estimate substantial financial commitments to DEI, reporting that neither UW nor the 15 scrutinized state agencies kept track of their DEI expenditures for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, which concluded on June 30. Rather than a centralized directive, schools within the UW system initiated their own DEI ventures without a mandated definition from the UW Board of Regents or administration. The audits approximated that UW spent roughly $40 million on DEI-related offices, $12.5 million on DEI-related salaries, and another $8 million dedicated to DEI activities. Furthermore, a dozen state agencies allocated about $2.2 million on DEI salaries.
Governor Tony Evers’ administration was found lacking in consistent requirements and documentation for DEI plans and their compliance, as per the audit. However, it urged caution in interpreting DEI-related expenses, suggesting many costs were tied to legal requisites, efficient HR practices, or critical workforce initiatives. Kathy Blumenfeld, head of the state’s Department of Administration, emphasized that these expenditures also upheld worker retention and recruitment goals.
Republicans in the legislature have consistently opposed DEI programs and initiated the audit through the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, advocating for equity based on merit rather than DEI initiatives, criticized such efforts as detrimental and vowed to persist in abolishing DEI as part of state budget deliberations for 2025-2027. In tandem, State Sen. Eric Wimberger and State Rep. Robert Wittke expressed that taxpayer funds have been ineffectively utilized on DEI with minimal visible outcomes.
In 2023, the UW system struck a compromise with Republicans, freezing diversity hires, reclassifying around 40 DEI roles as “student success” positions, and halting an affirmative action initiative at UW-Madison, in return for state funding for staff raises and infrastructure projects. By the time the arrangement was implemented, at least 123 full-time DEI-related positions existed, a figure that decreased to 110 by May 2024. Currently, there are 64 such roles, as per UW system President Jay Rothman, who remarked on the complexities in defining DEI expenses due to varying initiatives across campuses and overlapping duties.
Governor Evers had previously mandated, through a 2019 executive order, that each state agency devise and maintain equity and inclusion strategies to tackle employment discrimination, ensure workplace fairness, and foster inclusivity.