Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida on Wednesday championed a Republican effort to demolish “diversity, equity, and inclusion” from U.S. military academies.
Gaetz argued that merit is America’s greatest strength, and not diversity as liberals perpetually say, and should be rewarded when the Pentagon picks its next generation of leaders.
Moreover, he maintained that DEI is a “stain” on the honor of getting selected for the military academies.
The Fort Walton Beach Republican made the comments during a House Armed Services Committee debate of the National Defense Authorization Act, the Pentagon’s main funding bill.
Read: Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz Cheers Passage Of His Bill To Reopen Military Weapons Testing Site
GOP Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana last week proposed an amendment to the bill that would prohibit race as a deciding factor for cadets to be admitted into the nation’s service academies.
Democrats on Wednesday denounced the proposal, arguing affirmative action had been positive for the country and that Banks’ amendment would discourage minorities from seeking admission to the academies.
They repeated the “diversity is our strength” mantra.
Gaetz rejected that.
“I’m against DEI in our universities. I’m against DEI in our military. And, for sure, I’m against DEI in the universities that exist to serve our military,” said Gaetz. “We should not have race-based admissions anywhere in the United States of America.”
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Gaetz noted that while the Supreme Court had upheld affirmative action in some forms, Congress was responsible for creating policies that addressed the court’s objections.
“Our policies are best served when we have a system that is based on merit,” Gaetz added. “Diversity is not the greatest strength of this country — merit is.”
“We are stronger because we have had the most meritorious ideas, the most entrepreneurial businesses, the best weapons systems, and the bravest people.”
Gaetz acknowledged that it was an honor to nominate young Americans for acceptance into the service academies.
But he added, “It’s a stain on that honor when admissions isn’t based on merit alone and on achievement alone.”
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