Michigan Senate Democrats offered “a statement of our values” on Tuesday with a party-line vote in support of diversity, equity and inclusion, effectively snubbing President Donald Trump’s efforts to eradicate DEI programs.

“Every single Democrat in the #MISenate unanimously voted to double down on DEI,” Sen. Lana Theis, R-Brighton, posted to X on Tuesday, along with a screenshot of the 19-18 vote on Senate Resolution 18.

“It’s a statement of our values,” resolution sponsor Sen. Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit, told reporters with The Detroit News and other outlets after the vote. “And apparently, a statement of some people’s lack of values.”

SR 18, a symbolic measure with no force of law, is designed to encourage lawmakers, school leaders and employers to “adopt and uphold the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion which promote inclusivity, protect freedom of express, remove barrios, and provide equitable opportunities for every American to pursue their dreams.”

The resolution contends DEI practices “perfectly embody the spirit of the American Dream” and are “deeply rooted in America’s founding principles.”

“Any elected leaders who attempt to prohibit or otherwise limit diversity, equity and inclusion-informed policies are acting at odds with the principles underlying these essential rights, restricting the ability of individuals to freely express themselves, diminishing the diversity of perspectives that strengthen our society and undermining the spirit of anti-discrimination laws and policies,” the resolution reads.

Republicans in the upper chamber shared a different perspective on Tuesday.

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“The American Dream isn’t about handouts or forced outcomes,” Sen. Aric Nesbitt, a Porter Township Republican vying to replace the term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2026, said on the Senate floor. “It’s about hard work, individual merit, and the freedom to fall and rise on your own terms.

“The DEI agenda reeks of the same big government nonsense President Trump fought against telling people who to hire, who to promote, how to think, all based on a cultural Marxist ideology that pits American against each other,” he said. “It’s the exact opposite of E Pluribus Unum, out of many one.”

The vote comes as Michigan universities spend millions on DEI programs annually, despite research that shows the effort is not producing the desired results.

The University of Michigan has spent about a quarter billion dollars on DEI initiatives since the school created one of the most expansive programs in the nation in 2016, with more than half of the spending going to salaries and benefits for staff, according to an investigation by The New York Times last year.

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In total, The College Fix counted at least 241 UM employees focused on DEI initiatives with payroll costs of roughly $30.68 million, or enough to “cover in-state tuition and fees for 1,781 undergraduate students” at a university that’s heavily subsidized by taxpayers.

It’s a similar situation at Michigan State University and other schools.

At UM, a survey released in late 2022 found “students and faculty members reported a less positive campus climate than at the program’s start and less of a sense of belonging,” according to an investigation by The New York Times Magazine published in October. “Students were less likely to interact with people of a different race or religion or with different politics – the exact kind of engagement DEI programs, in theory, are meant to foster.”

Trump signed an executive order Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing on Jan. 20, the first day of his second term.

The EO directs the Trump administration to “coordinate the termination of all discriminatory programs, including illegal DEI and ‘diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility’ (DEIA) mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities in the Federal Government, under whatever name they appear.”

The U.S. Department of Education last week followed up on the EO with a notice to more than 50 universities nationwide, including UM and Grand Valley State University, to inform them of federal investigations into alleged racial discrimination tied to DEI programs.

“Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. “We will not yield on this commitment.”

The memo warned schools they could lose federal funding over “race-based preferences” in admissions, scholarships or other parts of student life.

The Senate’s vote on Tuesday to affirm the chamber’s commitment to DEI follows a letter from state Sen. Jim Runestad to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in January urging her to comply with Trump’s EO and “immediately halt all Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies related to hiring, training, and spending practices.”

The White Lake Republican said it remains unclear exactly how much state government currently spends on DEI because a significant number of DEI-designated employees are hidden or unidentifiable in the state budget.

Runestad suggested in comments on the Senate floor on Tuesday that his Democratic colleagues’ focus on “equity” through DEI is distracting lawmakers from more important priorities, The News reports.

“When you are focused on resolutions promoting DEI instead of addressing the massive academic under performance of our students or the Fentanyl crisis, you might just be out of touch with the priorities of the people here in the state of Michigan,” said Runestad, who also serves as chairman of the Michigan Republican Party.