The US government specifically gives a major advantage to certain races and sexes in awarding contracts. Women are strongly preferred to men, and blacks are preferred to whites.
If the government wants to end racism and sexism, how can it possibly think that doing that same racism and sexism is the solution?
The US government awarding contracts based on racism and sexism means that no one thinks the people who won those contracts got them fairly on merit… even if they were truly the most deserving to win.
Everyone who loses the contract feels that it was not a fair process, but one based on discrimination against them.