With Republicans now in control of the House and its committees, top Pentagon leaders going to Congress this week to defend their budget proposal are expecting GOP accusations of the military imposing "woke" policies on troops to take center stage, Politico reported on Wednesday.
GOP lawmakers have accused the Pentagon, since President Joe Biden entered the White House, of pushing a liberal agenda that harms readiness — such as diversity training, racial justice education, and a concern for climate change's role in damage to military infrastructure and fomenting extremism internationally.
Although several hearings are planned, the main event is expected to be on Thursday when Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin testify before the House Defense Appropriations Committee, their first appearance on Capitol Hill this year to defend the administration's Pentagon budget, according to Politico.
In addition, a House Armed Services Personnel subcommittee hearing on Thursday is specifically dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion policies and training.
The Republican-controlled panel will use its oversight power to investigate several Pentagon personnel policies conservatives say are distracting from the military's main mission and contributing to a recruiting crisis, with Indiana Rep. Jim Banks contending that "the big picture is the military should be focused on preparing and training us for war with our enemies and preparing our troops. Our military should be projecting strength, not weakness, and the military shouldn't be a social or ideological experiment brought about by policies from the Biden administration."
The top Democrat on the Armed Services Personnel panel, Rep. Andy Kim of New Jersey, said this focus distracts from many pressing topics for troops.
"Of all the issues that we hear from service members from mental health and suicide and challenges with their family, the fact that the first two topical hearings are about the COVID-19 vaccine mandate that no longer is in existence and then DEI, it just sends the wrong signals," said Kim, referring to diversity, equity and inclusion. "This is a committee that could absolutely be the exemplar of bipartisanship and getting things done in a divided government."
At a recent media event, leaders of the military branches had detailed talking points ready to counter the "wokeness" claims, stating that "the Army's mission remains to fight and win the nation's wars. At the end of the day, to accomplish our mission we must build cohesive teams founded on respect and acceptance. Nothing in the Army's personnel policies … are implemented to detract from that mission."
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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