Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., is slamming President Joe Biden for opposing several legislative amendments to a House defense bill that would restore meritocracy to the U.S. armed forces.
On Monday, the White House sent a memo to ranking members of the House Armed Services Committee listing sections in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024 that it continues to oppose. Included in the list are numerous NDAA provisions that would restrict the Defense Department’s (DOD) use of DEI ideology, which the administration claims “promote a cohesive and inclusive force.”
“The men and women serving our country deserve much better than a commander-in-chief who reduces them to their sex and the color of their skin,” Banks told The Federalist. “It’s offensive, unconstitutional, and dangerous!”
Shorthand for “diversity, equity, and inclusion,” DEI is a poisonous ideology that’s dismissive of merit and discriminates based on characteristics such as skin color and sexual orientation. Individuals who qualify for a certain position due to their merits but don’t meet the discriminating entity’s goal of being more “diverse” are often passed over in favor of those who meet the preferred identitarian standards.
Among the NDAA provisions opposed by the White House are two amendments sponsored by Banks and approved by the House Armed Services Committee, one of which would mandate the Pentagon use a merit-based system to determine military promotions and assignments. The other would prohibit the defense secretary from appointing or employing anyone, military or civilian, “with a rank or
