Blackburn, through two amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), was working to guarantee military parents have authority over their children’s education and that congressional funding for “woke" diversity, equity, and inclusion Department of Defense (DOD) programs would have more restrictions.
During a classified hearing Wednesday, Senate Democrats on the Armed Services Committee voted down both measures.
“The U.S. military must focus on confronting the new “axis of evil” – Communist China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. These regimes do not care how woke our military is or what our soldiers’ pronouns are,” Blackburn explained to Fox News Digital.
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“Pentagon leaders should be spending their time learning lessons about their disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, not promoting Critical Race Theory and wokeism. When our brave men and women are fighting on the battlefield, their children must be protected from government-funded indoctrination. These proposals are not controversial. Democrats should be happy to support them and help refocus the energy and effort at the Defense Department where it belongs — on fighting our adversaries.”
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The military has come under scrutiny recently from Republicans in Congress for enacting new diversity and inclusion initiatives, which they say takes away from the military’s core mission of defending the nation.
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Former Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby previously dismissed these allegations by the GOP, stating the argument of “wokeness” in the military is “driving a stake through a straw man,” and diversity and inclusion make the military stronger.
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The first amendment proposed by Blackburn, “Stop Experimenting With Military Children,” declared that parents, “not woke teachers,” have to be at the center of their children’s education.
The senator cited instances of Department of Defense (DOD) teachers who have argued it is “appropriate” to hide a child’s gender transition from his or her parents.
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The amendment would require DOD to inform or notify parents of “any matter relating to their child’s mental, emotional or physical health or well-being.” It would guarantee that legal adults are informed of the health care their child or minor dependents may get.
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The second of the amendments, “Keeping Our Military Focused On Lethal Threats,” would keep the military concentrated on “creating the most lethal fighting force on planet Earth” and nothing else.
“Instead, Joe Biden’s military leaders are secretly attempting to turn our brave war fighters into social justice warriors,” language accompanying the text declared.
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The amendment would have required the under-secretary of defense to brief Congress on spending related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. It would empower Congress to use its power of the purse to monitor DOD spending and keep the agency from using funding as a “blank check” for DEI spending.
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