Two House Republicans defected from their party, voting to kill two National Defense Authorization Act amendments that would have defunded diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in the military.
In an otherwise party-line vote, Reps. Don Bacon (R-NE) and Mike Turner (R-OH) voted against the amendments, causing their failures in 29-30 votes in a committee markup for the NDAA Wednesday night.
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One amendment, offered by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), would have prohibited NDAA funds from being used for DEI training.
Gaetz offered another amendment that blocked funding for drag shows at military facilities, which passed.
The other failed amendment, offered by Rep. Mark Alford (R-MO), would have defunded the Defense Department's top diversity officer, the deputy inspector general for diversity and inclusion and extremism in the military, currently held by Theresa Hull.
"Diversity, equity, and inclusion within the Department of Defense is unnecessary and divisive," Alford told the Washington Examiner. "With our military missing recruiting goals, we should be focused on pushing American greatness and not pronouns or gender identities. Last night's vote was disappointing and will only exacerbate this problem. The issue is not dead, and I am not done pursuing it."
Bacon said that the Alford and Gaetz amendments were "drafted too broadly and had the potential to do significant harm to long-standing DOD equal opportunity programs that ensure Department of Defense compliance with the Constitution and U.S. law."
“Last night, there were numerous NDAA amendments proposed in opposition DOD’s excessive and often divisive emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion," Bacon told the Washington Examiner. "I was proud to join my colleagues in supporting six different amendments that eliminate the position of chief diversity officer, eliminate the Countering Extremism Working Group, prohibit formal instruction on CRT at our academies, prohibit drag shows on government property, and other similar measures."
One amendment, Bacon said, "would have totally cut all diversity training for the military, which is unreasonable. All service members should know that racism and sexual harassment are not tolerated in our military, and you do that through training.”
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Despite the amendment failures, the NDAA overwhelmingly advanced through the committee in a 58-1 vote, with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) being the only member to vote against it.
"We have DEI on the run, and our pursuit continues," Gaetz told the Washington Examiner.
Turner did not respond to a request for comment.