{"id":2572194,"date":"2026-02-21T08:16:59","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T13:16:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/flashback-d-c-water-chief-said-dei-was-a-top-priority-now-city-faces-historic-sewage-spill\/"},"modified":"2026-02-21T08:21:18","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T13:21:18","slug":"flashback-d-c-water-chief-said-dei-was-a-top-priority-now-city-faces-historic-sewage-spill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/flashback-d-c-water-chief-said-dei-was-a-top-priority-now-city-faces-historic-sewage-spill\/","title":{"rendered":"Flashback: D.C. Water Chief Said DEI Was a Top Priority \u2013 Now City Faces Historic Sewage Spill"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fflashback-d-c-water-chief-said-dei-was-a-top-priority-now-city-faces-historic-sewage-spill%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2572194&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The piece argues that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs are deeply flawed. It claims DEI is inherently racist toward white people, undermines merit, and fosters division. A less-discussed but central critique is the possibility cost: finite government resources spent on DEI initiatives divert funds from core services and essential infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>The article grounds this in a high-profile example from Washington, D.C.: a massive Potomac sewage spill, described as the largest in U.S.history, and a plea for federal aid to address the disaster. It contends that the crisis results from a shift in priorities under DC Water\u2019s leadership, where emphasis on DEI and related initiatives allegedly outweighed maintenance and oversight of sewer systems. Citing sources like Fox News and the Washington Times, the piece argues that DEI spending\u2014including hundreds of millions on DEI projects and supplier diversity\u2014drained resources that should have gone to infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, the author insists that government exists to provide core services first, and that ideology should not trump competence.When resources, personnel, and attention are redirected toward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/saudis-acquiring-electronic-arts-means-fewer-woke-video-games\/\" title=\"Saudis Acquiring Electronic Arts Means Fewer Woke Video Games\">ideological box-checking<\/a>, tangible public goods suffer. The conclusion is that opportunity cost becomes real and measurable when essential infrastructure fails, underscoring a call to prioritize basic services over DEI-focused programs.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>It goes without saying that there are many, many (<em>many<\/em>) problems with the concept of &ldquo;diversity, equity, and inclusion.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Just to name a few:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>DEI is inherently racist toward white people, and you don&rsquo;t combat perceived racism with actual racism.<\/li>\n<li>DEI completely neuters the value of merit.<\/li>\n<li>DEI quite literally fosters division.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>But there&rsquo;s another major issue with DEI that&rsquo;s not discussed nearly as much as the aforementioned bullet points.<\/p>\n<p>That issue is: opportunity cost.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>At the end of the day, DEI is a government program\/initiative that requires government resources to fund and operate. And resources, by definition, are finite.<\/p>\n<p>An obsessive, expensive DEI program &mdash; like the ones pushed in deep-blue Washington, D.C. &mdash; is naturally going to take resources from other places while handing those resources to people who don&rsquo;t deserve it.<\/p>\n<p>And that can lead to some damning consequences.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/dc-mayor-bowser-declares-emergency-over-potomac-sewage-spill-asks-federal-help\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fox News<\/a>, on Wednesday, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a disaster emergency over a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-floats-federal-takeover-of-potomac-river-sewage-cleanup\/\" title=\"Trump floats federal takeover of Potomac River sewage cleanup\">massive sewage spill<\/a> in the Potomac.<\/p>\n<p>The outlet added: &ldquo;The sewage spill has now become the largest in U.S. history, dumping over 240 million gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Bowser had written to President Donald Trump requesting additional federal resources to help combat this disaster.<\/p>\n<p>(For what it&rsquo;s worth, Trump may be inspired to work with Democrats to clean this up, given the potential ramifications of having a smelly Potomac for America&rsquo;s 250th birthday celebration.)<\/p>\n<p>As <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/news\/2026\/feb\/19\/districts-dei-hiring-obsession-led-largest-wastewater-spill-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Washington Times<\/a> noted, however, you can actually trace this historic sewage spill back to &hellip; 2018 and the height of DEI.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The District of Columbia hired David Gadis as CEO and general manager of DC Water in 2018 after he lied to Flint, Michigan, residents that their water was safe to drink, even though it was contaminated with lead,&rdquo; wrote Washington Examiner columnist Kelly Sadler. &ldquo;Why? Diversity.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Apparently, Gadis was hired because he is a black man. And one of his first moves as CEO? To fire his white, male executives, and replace them with people whose resumes may as well have read, &ldquo;Non-white, please hire.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Gadis also oversaw $520 million worth of DEI projects.<\/p>\n<p>That&rsquo;s a lot of time and money that could&rsquo;ve gone to &hellip; maybe preventing the Potomac from becoming a toxic sewer?<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;DC Water focused more on DEI and environmental justice than on oversight, repair work and maintenance of the sewer lines,&rdquo; Sadler said. &ldquo;Dozens of DEI programs were created, with multiple officials and offices overseeing initiatives such as &lsquo;unconscious bias.&rsquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Under Mr. Gadis&rsquo; leadership, the utility focused on supplier diversity, inclusion councils, training, outreach, compliance goals and internal equity practices.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Are we really supposed to believe that things like &ldquo;supplier diversity&rdquo; are going to help maintain sewage pipeline integrity? Come on. If anything, the only surprise is that it took this long for disaster to strike, when DC Water has been DEI-obsessed since 2018.<\/p>\n<p>This is what opportunity cost looks like in the real world. When <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >government agencies prioritize ideological box-checking<\/a> over core competencies, something else inevitably slips. In this case, it wasn&rsquo;t a memo or a mission statement &mdash; it was basic sewer maintenance in the nation&rsquo;s capital.<\/p>\n<p>Bureaucracies only have so much money, manpower, and managerial focus to go around, and every dollar spent on &ldquo;inclusion councils&rdquo; or bias seminars is a dollar not spent inspecting pipes, upgrading infrastructure, or stress-testing aging systems.<\/p>\n<p>You can debate DEI theory in a university lecture hall. But when raw sewage is pouring into the Potomac River in record volumes, and the mayor of Washington, D.C. is pleading for federal help, the opportunity cost stops being abstract. It becomes visible, measurable, and foul-smelling.<\/p>\n<p>The government exists to provide core services first. When it forgets that &mdash; when ideology outruns competence &mdash; the consequences have a rather dire way of surfacing.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s a paraphrase of the main ideas in the text you supplied:<\/p>\n<p>There are many problems people point to with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Among the common criticisms are claims that DEI is biased against white people, that fighting perceived racism with actual racism is misguided, that DEI undermines the value of merit, and that it promotes division. But there\u2019s another major concern that isn\u2019t talked about as often: opportunity cost\u2014the idea that resources spent on DEI come at the expense of other important needs.<\/p>\n<p>The piece argues that DEI is a government program that requires funding and ongoing operation, and because resources are finite, an expansive DEI agenda\u2014especially in politically liberal centers like Washington, D.C.\u2014will divert money from other priorities to people who allegedly don\u2019t deserve it. It ties this to a real-world crisis: a massive sewage spill in the Potomac River, described as the largest in U.S. history, for which Mayor Muriel Bowser asked for federal help. The article contends that the spill\u2019s scale reflects a broader pattern dating back to 2018, when DC Water appointed David Gadis as CEO. It claims Gadis, selected in part because he is Black, fired white male executives and replaced them with non-white hires, and then oversaw hundreds of millions of dollars in DEI initiatives. Critics say the organization devoted more attention to DEI programs, supplier diversity, inclusion councils, training, and internal equity than to fundamental maintenance, oversight, and repair of sewer infrastructure. They argue that many DEI efforts diverted focus and funding away from core functions, so when problems emerged with the sewer system, the consequences were severe. In essence, the piece argues that government should prioritize core services first; when ideology supersedes competence, the effects become concrete, visible, and\u2014in this case\u2014unpleasant.<\/p>\n<p>The overarching message is that opportunity cost makes the costs of DEI policy tangible: bureaucracies with limited money and attention cannot ignore essential services without eventually facing real, noticeable problems<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2572195,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Sewage-overflow-area.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[74111,16574,3902,50402,74268],"class_list":["post-2572194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-dc-water","tag-dei","tag-infrastructure","tag-leadership-2","tag-sewage-spill"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Sewage-overflow-area.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2572194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2572194"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2572194\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2572198,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2572194\/revisions\/2572198"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2572195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2572194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2572194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2572194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}