As China’s military tech dominates, Congress demands science bow to racial ‘justice’ China has already surpassed America in several branches of quantum information science, which entails massive computations and nearly instantaneous communications — and in critical areas of artificial intelligence, all of which have military applications. This would not seem to be an ideal time, therefore, for America to be directing its finite science, technology, engineering and mathematics resources towards racial-justice initiatives. Yet legislation intended to increase our scientific competitiveness vis-à-vis China is shot through with mandates to “diversify” STEM faculty, student bodies and research labs. Never mind that diversity in STEM can, at present, only be achieved at the expense of scientific standards. Rather than sharpening our technological edge, Congress would dull it. China is taking the opposite course. It identifies its top math talent early on and gives mathematically gifted students accelerated instruction. Its rigorous university entrance exams reward effort and achievement, not identity. Undergraduate math competitions provide a pipeline to the best graduate programs in STEM.