Lankford, Colleagues Push to Stop Government Spending on Woke Military Programs

WASHINGTON, DC – While Russian aggression, Chinese belligerence, and other threats jeopardize international stability, the Biden Administration devotes valuable taxpayer funding and resources to woke diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives within the US Department of Defense (DoD). As part of this effort, the administration has created a Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) position within the DoD.

Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced the Restoring Military Focus Act to eliminate the position of CDO and prohibit federal funds from being used to establish any similar office.

Lankford and Rubio were joined by Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Jim Risch (R-ID), and Mike Crapo (R-ID).

“The men and women serving our nation in the military do not need to be focused on ‘woke’ training practices. Their job is to be ready for the call to protect our nation—not to be up to speed on the latest ‘woke’ terminology. We need to focus on national security,” said Lankford.

“Our military should be focused on protecting our national security, not on promoting woke nonsense. The current direction we are heading in is dangerous. If we don’t reverse course, we risk jeopardizing our military strength, national interests, and security,” said Rubio.

“Americans expect the Department of Defense to focus on maintaining our military as a combat-ready force capable of defeating and killing our enemies. Instead the Biden administration has transformed the Pentagon into a laboratory for woke policies. The result is breathtakingly irresponsible and reckless,” said Cruz.

“The US military should be focused on confronting the New Axis of Evil — not telling our troops they are racist, teaching CRT or pushing gender pronouns. Our brave warriors should be evaluated solely on their merit,” said Blackburn.

“The Restoring Military Forces Act takes the right steps to protect our military from toxic, un-American ideologies and put the focus back on the number one priority: defending our nation’s security,” said Hawley. 

“The Department of Defense having a ‘Chief Diversity Officer’ is unnecessary. Young Americans join the military to learn how to defend our country, not learn about radical ideologies. It’s no wonder our military is facing a recruiting crisis under the Biden Administration,” said Cotton.

“The spread of gender and race ideology at the Department of Defense is toxic and diminishes our fighting force. Our military is not a place for social experimentation. With the rise of severe military threats from China and Russia, any step forward in improving our national defense must include rooting out these corrosive ideas and improving quality of life for our troops,” said Wicker.

US Representative Chip Roy (R-TX) introduced the legislation in the US House of Representatives in July 2021.