Congressional Panels Called Out on Lack of Diversity in Hearings

Congressional committees have had an Achilles heel when it comes to ensuring racial and ethnic diversity of witnesses at hearings and need to fix it now, an environmental group said in a letter Wednesday.

“Hearings are an integral element of the policy making process, and the inclusion of witnesses of color is key to ensuring that people across our nation have their voices heard,” wrote Andres Jimenez, executive director for Green 2.0, which pushes for increased diversity among environmental organizations.

The need for diversity is particularly crucial ...