Today I Introduced the Merit Restoration Act

This press release from Representative Ralph Norman (R-SC) was published on 2026-06-02 and titled "Today I Introduced the Merit Restoration Act".

Today I Introduced the Merit Restoration Act

Today, I introduced the Merit Restoration Act to stop DEI requirements and ideological tests from influencing taxpayer-funded research grants. Federal research funding should be awarded based on merit, innovation, and scientific excellence, not political agendas or identity-based QUOTAS. For years, and particularly under the Biden administration, federal agencies have pushed universities and research institutions to prioritize DEI statements and activist criteria over achievement and results. That’s wrong, and taxpayers are tired of footing the bill for it. My legislation ensures agencies like the NIH and NSF award grants based on the quality of the research and the benefit to the American people, not ideological checkboxes. READ MORE: https://norman.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx