During a June 22, 2021, floor debate on the confirmation of Kiran Ahuja, President Joe Biden's nominee to head the U.S. government's Office of Personnel Management, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) spoke out against critical (race) theory.

Critical theorists, he said, "pit whiteness and blackness against each other in a manner that reduces every American, no matter their character or their creed, to their racial identity alone."

In light of Ahuja's previous writings and comments that appear to support such a view, Hawley warned that as the head of personnel she could usher in a "new era of racial engineering" within the federal workforce.

"I'm concerned that as the federal government's HR director, Ms. Ahuja could use her platform to promote radical ideologies that seek to divide rather than unite the American people," he said.

Ultimately, Ahuja was confirmed, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting a tie-breaking vote.

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Sen. Josh Hawley on the Biden Administration and Critical Theory