Bowser Deflects Mace’s DEI Push at House Hearing on DC Crime

WASHINGTON — In a House Oversight Committee hearing focused on crime and safety in the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser pushed back Thursday against Rep. Nancy Mace’s attempt to tie the city’s DEI policies to crime, turning aside a line of questions and stressing that the session was about public safety. Bowser argued that the hearing should center on crime statistics, policing resources and safety, not culture-war battles over diversity, equity and inclusion.

Mace used her five minutes to press a string of culture-war questions, including the No DEI in D.C. Act she introduced to challenge the District’s DEI programs. She pressed Bowser to answer “yes or no” to the nuanced query of whether “D.C. government is racist,” and she questioned the scope of diversity and inclusion in local policy. The exchange then turned to language in the D.C. code, with Mace asking Bowser to define “a woman” in response to the district’s use of the term “birthing people” in a section of the code.

One thing we noticed the D.C. code struggles to define is the term ‘woman,’ Mace began. “So, Mayor Bowser, what is a woman?” Bowser shot back, “I’m a woman. Are you a woman?” “100%,” Mace replied. “OK,” Bowser said flatly. “I’m a woman. You’re looking at one.”

Bowser’s retort was met with laughter from some in the room, underscoring the charged tone of the session. While Mace has framed the discussion as a defense of fiscal and policing priorities, Bowser maintained that the city’s safety challenges could not be solved by singling out DEI policies for blame or framing every policy disagreement as a criminal-justice issue.

The hearing’s focus on crime and safety drew attention to how the chamber handles questions that extend beyond immediate law enforcement needs. Bowser reiterated that the District operates under its own elected government and that federal lawmakers, while free to ask questions, should center the discussion on staffing, crime trends, homelessness, and other public-safety concerns rather than revisiting long-running debates over DEI programs and gender terminology in local statutes.

This by no means is the first time the South Carolina lawmaker has taken aim at trans rights and related issues. Last year, Mace proposed a measure to ban the first openly transgender congressperson from using women’s bathrooms at the Capitol. The bathroom-related proposal, however, was notably excluded from the House rules package in January. The clash at the hearing amplified questions about the boundaries between policy debate and identity politics in congressional oversight.

Reaction to the exchange flowed online, with critics portraying Mace’s questions as a political stunt and Bowser’s responses as a firm defense of the District’s governance. Some observers suggested that Mace’s approach illustrated a broader pattern in which culture-war arguments are used to frame public-safety policy debates, while others defended her right to press for policy changes she believes affect local governance. The hearing did not produce a new policy mandate or vote on the matter at hand, but it underscored the partisan tension surrounding discussions of diversity, equity and inclusion in local and national government.

As the session progressed, Bowser stayed the course on crime-focused topics, outlining the District’s resources for policing, crime-prevention programs, and community outreach. The encounter served as a focal point for ongoing national debates about the role of DEI initiatives in government and whether such programs influence public safety outcomes. Proponents argue DEI efforts help address disparities and improve trust between communities and law enforcement, while critics contend such policies are tangential to core policing objectives. The House Oversight Committee has scheduled further hearings and investigations related to the Capitol region’s safety and governance, and Bowser’s testimony will be cited in ongoing discussions about local autonomy and federal oversight.