‘This is about readiness’: Sen Schmitt pushes to eliminate DEI at the Pentagon

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DEI emphasizes troops' 'differences': Pete Hegseth

Fox News co-host and 'The War on Warriors' author Pete Hegseth picks apart the role of diversity, equity and inclusion in the military on 'The Big Weekend Show.' 

Sen. Eric Schmitt is pushing to ensure measures to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs within the Pentagon are included in this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), telling Fox News Digital the current focus has a "negative impact" on military recruitment and readiness. 

Schmitt, R-Mo., was successful in getting a number of amendments included in the version of the NDAA that recently passed the Senate Armed Services Committee — including a measure to make permanent a hiring freeze on DEI-related positions.

Schmitt also was successful in getting an amendment in for consideration that would prevent the Defense secretary from reauthorizing the Defense Advisory Committee on Diversity and Inclusion. He also forced a successful roll call vote to prohibit DEI contract clauses in hiring contracts and an amendment that would prohibit a DEI minor degree at the U.S. Air Force Academy and the U.S. Military Academy. 

Schmitt, in an interview with Fox News Digital, explained why these issues are imperative. 

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Sen. Eric Schmitt speaks during a news conference with Republican Senators about border security issues at the U.S. Capitol January 24, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Drew Angerer)

"We’ve got to get this country, and certainly our military, back to being a true meritocracy," Schmitt said. "Our military has been the ultimate meritocracy where people can achieve great things no matter what their background is and be heroes and be celebrated by the country — and instead, you’ve seen this woke effort with DEI in the military, and it is contrary to our American values." 

Schmitt also stressed that the DEI programs are "hurting us, recruiting wise." 

"It would be fooling ourselves to think that this kind of discriminatory ideology that is, essentially, cultural Marxism, isn’t turning people off and keeping people away," he said. "So you combine that with firing 8,000 plus men and women of the military for not getting the COVID shot to this DEI stuff. It is just really hurting recruiting, and this is an effort to turn that around and let everyone know that they are welcome in the military." 

Schmitt went on to say that focus on DEI actually "divides the room." 

The Pentagon is pictured in Washington, March 27, 2008. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

"It separates people by race when we should be focused on commonality, lethality and protecting our country," he said. "That’s what this is about." 

Meanwhile, Schmitt said he is optimistic that the amendments were passed out of committee, meaning there was some Democratic support. 

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"I think that it is a good indication that we’re winning the fight here in the hearts and minds of people. People don’t want this, and I think you’re seeing even Democrats hopefully recognizing that," he said. 

As for firm Democratic support for the measures when the NDAA package comes to the Senate floor for a full vote later this year, Schmitt said he hopes to see colleagues from the other side of the aisle moving to eliminate these programs. 

"I hope so — if there’s more work to do, we’ll continue to fight for that," he said. "But again, this is about readiness. This is about our military making sure it is a lethal fighting force without injecting woke politics."

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"I think we've got to continue to press on this and make sure that we root out this discriminatory, racist obsession that the left has, and the Democrats have advocated for, and it's, again, come from the Biden administration and their political appointees," Schmitt continued.  

"If you talk to real men and women in uniform, they don't like this stuff, and we've heard that time and time again," he said.