The Defense Department requested $114 million this week for its diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility or DEIA programs.
The request, which is the Pentagon’s largest ever ask for DEIA funding, comes as the agency failed its sixth audit of its accounts in as many years.
Pentagon officials said in the request that the funding push was meeting President Biden’s proposal for this year’s budget and demonstrated the Pentagon’s “commitment ” to diversity activities.
Republican lawmakers said the $114 million ask was another example of the military focusing more on liberal social policies than warfighting and exacerbating an already dire recruiting crisis.
“The Pentagon has no idea where the hell all the taxpayer money that has been funding it went for the past six years, but they have the audacity to ask for more funding for diversity, equity and inclusion programs,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia posted on X.
“Does Joe Biden want the military to be a lethal fighting force or a clown show??”
The Defense Department refused to comment on the criticism, telling The Washington Times that “it is inappropriate for the department to comment on pending legislation.”
The Pentagon never completed an audit until 2018 and has not passed one since taking on the task of auditing its over $3 trillion in assets. The department’s chief financial officer, Michael McCord, said of the failed report that “things are showing progress [but] it’s not enough.”
Mr. McCord’s optimism comes as the Pentagon made the same amount of progress as last year’s audit. The agency completed only seven of 29 required subaudits, the same tally as the year before.
Rep. Byron Donalds, Florida Republican, said Mr. Biden’s “weakness” has caused chaos around the globe and the Pentagon’s DEIA mission is part of the problem.
“Now more than ever we need our military to be strong & focused solely on winning. But what did DOD request after failing its audit? $114M for DEI,” Mr. Donalds said on social media. “We must get SERIOUS.”
The outpouring of criticism against the funding request comes months after the GOP-led House passed the $886 billion National Defense Authorization Act, an annual bill that sets Pentagon policy.
The legislation was jam-packed with measures to gut diversity, equity and inclusion positions in the military. The hot-button policy baked into the House’s version of the bill however faces opposition from the Democrat-led Senate.
Both chambers passed their respective iterations of the NDAA in July, but have yet to meet in conference to hash out a final product.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
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