Representative Mike Waltz (R-FL) has introduced a bill prohibiting "woke" practices supposedly implemented in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Named the Working to Address Recruiting and Retention to Improve Our Readiness (WARRIOR) Act, Rep. Waltz's bill would require the Department of Defense to audit Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, bans the instruction of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and similar ideologies, and "prohibits the use of appropriated funds to investigate extremism in the military," among other things.
This third component of the bill is a response to recent actions by the Department of Defense wherein a 2021 "stand-down" was ordered to investigate alleged extremism in the military. In sum, the DOD found 100 members (out of 2.5 million Armed Forces personnel) to have "extremist" views.
Rep. Waltz criticized Military Times's Leo Shane for seemingly portraying the issue in his article as far larger than it really is, saying he "missed some important context."
Missed some important context @LeoShane, it’s 100 servicemembers engaged in extremism OUT OF 2.5 MILLION or .0004%. One extremist is too many, but your reporting implies an overwhelming problem which the data shows it is not. https://t.co/RqWHDWuUe2
— Rep. Mike Waltz (@michaelgwaltz) May 12, 2023
In his press release, Waltz stated, "Under the Biden Administration, the Pentagon has diverted its focus from lethality and have instead pushed initiatives that have politicized our warfighting ranks and harmed our military readiness."
"Under the Biden Administration, the Pentagon has diverted its focus from lethality and have instead pushed initiatives that have politicized our warfighting ranks and harmed our military readiness. Our military faces the worst recruiting crisis since the Vietnam War because young Americans don’t want to join what was once a trusted institution that has become overly politicized and hyper-focused on DEI initiatives. The reforms proposed in this legislation will restore a merit-based culture to our ranks, audit unnecessary and political DEI programs, and require cost-benefit analysis reports for green-energy-focused proposals," said Waltz.
Additional components of Waltz's WARRIOR Act include a mandatory submission of a cost-benefit analysis before Congress authorizes funds to go to DOD for "green energy" projects, especially if they are proven to improve military lethality and if no cheaper alternative is available.
Waltz has been highly critical of the Biden Administration's handling of the military, saying in March that implementing Critical Race Theory instruction "endangers" readiness. In January, the Florida Representative cited statistics suggesting servicemembers believe the military has become politicized.
