Sen. Cotton demands answers from Raytheon regarding critical race theory program

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., on Tuesday sent a letter to Raytheon's CEO demanding answers for the company's critical race theory (CRT) program calling on White employees to acknowledge their "privilege."

Cotton is asking CEO Gregory Hayes to share "any training materials on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion that Raytheon uses to teach its employees" by June 23 and "any vendors, companies, or individuals that Raytheon pays to administer such trainings," which the senator suggests may be in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

WHAT IS CRITICAL RACE THEORY?

Title VII bans employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of race and taking action that could "limit, segregate, or classify" workers.

"Teaching employees to obsess over race instead of performance is a poor business strategy, especially for a company that makes advanced aircraft and weaponry for the military," Cotton told FOX Business in a statement Tuesday. "Raytheon and every other contractor should treat their employees equally, without regard to race, or their business with the federal government will be jeopardized."

The letter comes after Manhattan Institute senior fellow and investigative reporter Christopher Rufo revealed internal Raytheon documents urging the company's White employees working for the second-largest U.S. defense contractor after Lockheed Martin to "decolonize" their bookshelves, among other things.

In a letter later obtained by Fox News Wednesday, Hayes responded to the criticism:

"Raytheon Technologies does not teach or train our employees on ‘Critical Race Theory,’ nor do we use race to foment division…Despite misrepresentation by politically-motivated agitators, there is no meaningful difference between these resources and those used by many, if not most, major employers in the U.S."

Hayes in July 2020 launched the company's "Stronger Together" campaign that aims to guide employees in "becoming an anti-racist today" and asks them to sign a pledge to "check [their] own biases" and initiate "sometimes difficult" conversations with colleagues, an employee guide reviewed by Rufo shows.

CHRIS RUFO SLAMS RAYTHEON FOR ‘DEEPLY CONCERNING,' ‘WOKE’ TRAINING ON RACE

It encourages employees to identify their "everyday privilege" and learn how to use it. One section quotes part of an essay by New York University Stern School of Business Professor Dolly Chugh: "In America, if you are white or Christian or able-bodied or straight or English-speaking, these particular identities are easy to forget," which Chugh has dubbed "ordinary privilege."

The training calls on employees to "identify everyone's race" as part of the initiative and give "those with marginalized identities … the floor in meetings or on calls, even if it means" certain employees must "silence" themselves. It then instructs White employees on how to approach tough conversations with Black colleagues who may be "exhausted, mentally drained, frustrated, stressed, barely sleeping, scared and overwhelmed," according to the documents.

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Finally, a list of recommendations for White employees suggests that they familiarize themselves with the meaning of the phrase "Defund the police," "participate in reparations," "decolonize" their bookshelves and "join a local ‘white space,'" documents obtained by Rufo show.

Democratic politicians and left-leaning pundits have pushed back against the idea that CRT may be divisive, while Republicans and right-leaning pundits argue it is. Some on the left have also pushed back against use of the phrase "CRT" to describe what is being taught within companies and at schools across the country.

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Former President Trump banned ideas associated with CRT from being utilized in federal government trainings – something President Biden quickly repealed after taking office. A number of state lawmakers have moved to ban CRT-esque teachings in public schools. 

Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson, Cameron Cawthorne and Sam Dorman contributed to this report.