The Omaha City Council rejected an amendment to remove the words diversity, equity and inclusion from the 2026 budget.
Council members Brinker Harding and Aimee Melton, who proposed amendment, said during the meeting Tuesday night that any reference to DEI did not comply with an executive order from President Donald Trump and could limit federal funding to the city.
Although the Council rejected the amendment 4-3 along party lines, Omaha Mayor John Ewing Jr. is still removing DEI from the title of a staffer. Keith Station, the former Deputy Chief of Staff for Diversity Equity and Inclusion is now the Deputy Chief of Staff for External Affairs. The mayor’s office said the change was in progress before the proposed amendment. Both mentions of DEI in the city budget pertained to Station’s title.
The 2026 budget was ultimately passed without making official changes to the use of DEI or related phrasing.
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