Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan of Virginia led a group of 20 members urging Armed Services leadership to reject any provisions that undermine DEI initiatives at the Department of Defense in the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act.
“One of the key strengths of the United States and its military is diversity. Diversity of race, ethnicity, background, gender, economic background, and sexual orientation contribute to new ideas, new perspectives, and new ways of thinking that allow for more robust decision-making, better planning for contingencies, and the development of well-thought-out and analyzed strategies that will be key to maintaining our military advantage in an age of increased great-power competition,” wrote the lawmakers. “This is only achieved by actively working to recruit a diverse military and ensuring that we have systems in place to support our servicemembers. DoD’s DEI initiatives are the most concrete action to accomplish that work and create a culture where all servicemembers feel welcome, free from harassment, and supported to be the best warfighters possible.”
The annual NDAA authorizes funding for the Department of Defense (DoD) and all Armed Forces operations for the upcoming fiscal year. McClellan addressed the numerous provisions that significantly undercut DoD’s efforts to recruit and retain a diverse and representative military including:
The complete elimination of the Office of Diversity Equity and Inclusion at DoD;
Language that would institute a hiring freeze for DEI work at DoD;
The elimination of the Chief Diversity Equity and Inclusion Officer role at DoD;
Prohibitions on the creation of DEI offices at service academies; and
The implementation of severe pay cuts for DoD employees who work on DEI issues.
A 2021 study by Blue Star Families found that nearly one in three servicemembers of color experienced at least one incident of harassment or racial profiling on base. Communities that experience discrimination are much less likely to encourage young individuals to join the military. The DoD has taken significant steps to address the issues through the implementation of DEI initiatives.
In Congress, McClellan helped introduce the Equal and Uniform Treatment in the Military (EQUITY) Act, legislation to prohibit discrimination in the armed forces, and opposed extreme Republicans’ efforts to dismantle Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives during Floor debate of the FY25 NDAA.
McClellan’s letter was signed by U.S. Reps. André Carson, Marc Veasey, Jasmine Crockett, Marilyn Strickland, Alma S. Adams, Jonathan L. Jackson, Joyce Beatty, Jill Tokuda, Troy Carter, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Barbara Lee, Gerald E. Connolly, Terri A. Sewell, Maxwell Alejandro Frost, Rashida Tlaib, Emanuel Cleaver II, Gwen S. Moore, Shontel M. Brown, Steven Horsford and Robert Garcia.
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