Brian Mast Grills State Department's DEI Head

I'm just going to start by responding to my colleague who's uh somebody that I thank I thank you for your service if I can speak to you directly I thank you for your service uh very proud to call you a brother in arms um but as I observe our units we both served in diverse units in the military but it was never by demand and that is the argument that I'm bringing up here as we talk about service in the state department or the military or anywhere else there are no quotas over qualification we didn't need an African-American or an Asian or a white sniper or bomb Tech or canine Handler it was just simply who raised their hand volunteered proved that they had what they needed to make it and be effective in that role and pursued it and reached their goal that's what it was all about and to give the appearance at any time that it is anything other than that that is Un-American and that is the problem I have with the appearance that this office is giving I'll ask a couple of questions here is baldness somebody that looks like me does that make you a better Diplomat ma'am I think I know the answer but uh I know of it does if somebody's five eight like me or six three like somebody else doesn't make them a better diplomat no I do not believe so likewise does being white make somebody a better diplomat no I do not believe so African-American no I do not believe so Asian or Islander any specific group Native American it doesn't I would ask this can you tell me am I White I would allow you to tell me how you characterize yourself that's exactly right I would have to tell you not just how I characterize myself but what I am but I'm asking do you know if I'm white I do not know half black I do not know Asian Islander do not know Brown Latino I do not know you can't no you can't know without asking without asking somebody to disclose what they are and we can't ask what somebody is and it shouldn't matter it shouldn't matter that I'm half Mexican it shouldn't matter whether I'm able-bodied or or ambulatory or or not ambulatory that doesn't have anything to do with what my background is that I served in these operations in the military that I gained these skills that I studied this in school that I proved that I could pass whatever tests under stress and duress and and be effective in the field under situations that Foreign Service officers might encounter like the withdrawal of Afghanistan the Enemy at the gates people being targeted trying to deal with countless number of sivs coming in that has nothing to do with how somebody looks it has to do with did they volunteer do this do they have the skills to do this did we test them to make sure they had the skills to do this do we hire hard and hard and and have the ability to manage a little bit easier and that's the problem with what I see with what's taking place here I'd ask you another question can you tell me what best looks like I'm not sure I'm fully understanding what you're getting at what does the best candidate look like yeah the best fso officer we'll use that the best Foreign Service Officer what does the best look like uh I would say the best for the particular job can look like any one of us and that is the American way that's what we support yes ma'am so in that we can't have it be that first we look for a diverse basket of candidates as is your quote and then after we look for the diverse basket then we check the Merit of that that the diversity can't be the number one I want a diverse Workforce I glad that I served with a diverse force in the military diverse colleagues as members of Congress but that can't be the number one filter because it does create an inherent bias an inherent quota system where people look at it and say well I wasn't this I didn't have the right religion or color or what they were looking for so I didn't make that diverse basket number one as you said that it has to be that they better bring you a diverse panel my time has expired

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Length: 5min 3sec (303 seconds)

Published: Tue Jun 13 2023