Earlier this month, the incoming Trump administration asked the Department of Energy to give them the names of every employee who has been learning about or working on climate change.
The Department refused. They said that the people who have devoted their professional lives to government service in the Department of Energy were “unsettled” by the request.
Of course they were!
The unspoken question about that request was “Why do you need to know?”
Now NPR reports that the Trump folks have asked the State Department to identify any programs or any activities that “promote gender equality, such as ending gender-based violence, promoting women’s participation in economic and political spheres, entrepreneurship, etc.”
The request came in the form of an email that was acquired by the New York Times.
The paper published the email, which was fairly non-specific in terms of its intent. The newspaper wrote:
“Although the wording of the memo is neutral and does not hint at any policy change, it rattled State Department employees, even those at senior levels. Some officials said they feared that the incoming Trump administration was trying to determine what programs were focused on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues, though the memo did not refer to them.”
To make things even more sinister, the email also asked the department to highlight any funds that have already been allocated toward the issues noted.
The report goes on to say that people in the State Department are “freaked out” about the request. While the Department spokesman, John Kirby, tried to calm everyone down, he also made it very clear that promoting gender and sexual orientation equality is a priority. He said that both John Kerry and Hillary Clinton have made it a priority.
The spokesman also went out of his way to say that if specific names are requested by the administration, its not likely that they’ll be provided.
This is a transition period. After eight years with a progressive administration in place, we are taking a huge swing back to the right.
Still, we have to wonder why the President-elect and his team would be trying so hard to identify programs that are working to improve the lives of gay, lesbian and trans-gender Americans.
It can’t be a good thing that they are even asking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WuaGNZVzpE
Featured image by torbakhopper via Flickr. (CC BY-ND 2.0)
