A major pharmaceutical company is facing calls for an investigation over apparent “disregard for American civil rights.”
The fact that President Donald Trump ordered an end to government diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs only told part of the story as Johnson & Johnson came under the microscope of America First Legal. In addition to the massive corporation’s myriad contracts with government agencies, AFL alleged “brazen” violations of federal law over hiring objectives to fill management positions with women and non-white candidates.
“Until very recently, Johnson & Johnson proudly touted DEI policies on its website that AFL believes plainly violated the Civil Rights Act,” expressed AFL Vice President Dan Epstein to Fox News Digital. “Institutions across corporate America and academia are now taking steps to rebrand or conceal their unlawful DEI policies in order to evade detection and continue their discriminatory practices.”
A letter submitted to the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights called for an investigation of Johnson & Johnson’s practices, accusing the drugmaker of violating the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in addition to the federal government’s Equal Opportunity Clause.
Supporting their argument, a 2023 Health for Humanity Report indicated an effort to have 50% of management positions filled by women and 6.8% by black employees.
“[Johnson & Johnson’s] public representations regarding the role of ‘equity’ in its employment practices reveal that it systematically and intentionally ignores its compliance obligations and instead violates [their] equal opportunity assurances to the federal government,” read the letter to HHS in part as AFL claimed the DEI policy is a violation of federal law impacting all of its business practices.
The letter added, “The Company’s disregard for American civil rights is brazen. It boasts about ‘creating equity across our systems and fostering and advancing a culture of inclusion.”
Along with the report, a LinkedIn post on “building a diverse talent pipeline” that touted tracking diversity in the talent pool and the importance of making it a “core value,” was accompanied by a video wherein Johnson & Johnson executive Sarah McKensey said, “One of the measures we are starting to look at is, not just the readiness of the pipeline … but what does the diversity of that mix look like? In order to provide a score or an assessment of the strength of the pipeline.”
Among Trump’s first actions upon returning to the White House, he signed an executive order, “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing.” As of 2024, USASpending.gov tallied 3,179 contracts for Johnson & Johnson with HHS, the Department of Defense, and other government agencies.
Trump upholds campaign promises in historic Oval Office signing ceremony https://t.co/UhQ6N5tDOP
— American Wire News (@americanwire_) January 21, 2025
Speaking with Fox News Digital, a Johnson & Johnson spokesperson asserted, “Johnson & Johnson has always been and will continue to be compliant with all applicable laws and has never engaged in any ‘illegal DEI.’”
Still, Epstein insisted, “HHS must investigate to determine whether Johnson & Johnson is still engaging in illegal discrimination and violating the Civil Rights Act.”
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Author: Kevin Haggerty
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