'We Must Continue To Gut The Woke Bureaucracy At The DoD': Jim Banks

3 months ago

During debate on the House floor, Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) spoke in support of the FY2025 NDAA, and touted GOP policy riders within the funding package.

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Transcript

00:00The gentleman from Indiana is recognized for two minutes.

00:02Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

00:03This is a strong NDAA, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

00:08It includes many important priorities that are essential to protecting our national security.

00:13It remains a must-pass legislation to care for our service members and their families.

00:20There are enormous wins in this bill for our service members and their families, starting

00:25with a 19.5% pay raise for junior enlisted service members.

00:32It increases access to specialty medical care, expands childcare programs to reduce waitlists

00:39across the country, and it ensures our service members receive 100% of their housing costs

00:46through their basic allowance for housing.

00:50We must continue, as well, to gut the woke bureaucracy at the DOD, and this bill does

00:57that.

00:58It contains many provisions, including a requirement that all military personnel actions are based

01:04on merit, without regard to race or color or sexuality or your political views.

01:10There is a ban in this bill on affirmative action at our service academies.

01:15By the end of this week, I expect this bill will also include more important provisions

01:21like a hiring freeze on all DEI personnel, a ban on overpaid chief diversity officers,

01:29and a complete ban on funding for critical race theory across the DOD.

01:35This bill builds on the foundation of last year's NDAA, curtailing the impact that this

01:41administration's woke leftist policies can have on our troops.

01:48But as we have seen just this week with the Air Force in Korea authorizing the wearing

01:53of pride patches on Air Force uniforms, or how a DODEA school in Bahrain honored a known

02:00anti-Semite and activist on their Facebook page, DEI and leftist politics in the Biden

02:08Pentagon is still firmly entrenched, and we must do something about it.

02:13Mr. Chairman, this bill is a huge step forward to supporting our service members and their

02:17families.

02:18It is our promise that they receive the pay and benefits necessary to focus on their mission,

02:24that their children are cared for and well educated.

02:27We can't do enough to make sure that that happens, and this bill goes a long way to

02:30do it.

02:31Mr. Chairman, I yield back.

'We Must Continue To Gut The Woke Bureaucracy At The DoD': Jim Banks

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