WASHINGTON, D.C. - Following the passage of the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024, the Tri-Caucus Staff Associations, composed of the Congressional Black Associates (CBA), the Congressional Asian Pacific American Staff Association (CAPASA), the Congressional Hispanic Staff Association (CHSA), and the Senate Black Legislative Staff Caucus (SBLSC) released the following statement: 

“We are disheartened that the second bipartisan FY2024 Appropriations package dissolves and replaces the House Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) with the Office of Talent Management under the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer. The House Office of Diversity and Inclusion has played a pivotal role in increasing diversity in Congress and advancing our respective organizations’ membership throughout its existence. 

Since ODI’s creation in the 116th Congress, this office has worked to foster and reflect America's diversity among House employing offices in a nonpartisan manner. Unfortunately, the politicization of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives has led to those resources being stripped away from Capitol Hill staff despite their impact. 

Eradicating efforts that promote diversity and inclusion could reduce opportunities for staffers of color, creating further barriers to representation in a body that already does not adequately reflect the diversity of the country it represents. According to the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, as of 2023, people of color make up 41% of the U.S. population, yet people of color comprised only 18% of senior staff in the House of Representatives and 15.8% of senior staff in the Senate.

Time and time again, we have heard how prospective and current staff sought the services and resources provided by ODI, which resulted in the recruitment and retention of talented staff of color on Capitol Hill. Our staff associations, along with many others, have also worked closely with ODI to ensure critical information about the work we are doing was distributed to a broader audience of members seeking professional development, support, and community.

There is so much more work to be done. Moving forward, the Tri-Caucus Staff Associations will work even harder to strengthen the pipeline of people of color to congressional offices. We also stand ready to work with the Chief Administrative Officer and the Office of Talent Management to ensure that House offices and staffers continue to receive robust resources in Member services, research, and professional development.

We will remain firm in our commitment to support diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and do everything we can to help recruit, retain, and advance staffers of color in Congress.”

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