Rep. Matt Gaetz on Wednesday continued to grill military leaders about the effect of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” policies on recruiting, troop readiness, and national defense.
During the House Armed Services Committee’s hearing on the U.S. Army’s 2024 budget, the Fort Walton Beach Republican asked Army Secretary Christine Wormuth about the impact of DEI’s “strange manifestations” on recruiting, which is at its lowest level in years.
As an example, Gaetz cited an Army training manual that spelled out what to do if women soldiers complain about showering with a transgender woman, which the manual described as “a female with male genitalia.”
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One of the four responses provided by the manual stated that “all soldiers” would use the bathroom and shower facilities that correspond to how they choose to identify in the Army’s personnel system.
When Gaetz asked for her reaction, Wormuth replied that the Army is focused on building “cohesive teams.”
Gaetz then asked Gen. James McConville, the Army’s chief of staff, for his take. “I think we need to respect the privacy of our soldiers and have an environment where everyone can thrive.”
McConville continued to avoid answering the question when Gaetz pressed him on how the Army can focus on “warfighting” when soldiers must be subjected to mandatory training on transgender troops.
Besides the men-in-the-women’s-showers question, that training includes sessions on “unconscious bias training” and “mandatory gender sensitivity training,” Gaetz noted.
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“It’s like the call is coming from inside the house on some of these problems at DoD [Department of Defense,” said Gaetz.
“There seems to be a cognitive dissonance between your recruiting nightmare that we are living through and this kind of stuff,” Gaetz continued.
“I don’t think it’s going to be a big positive recruiting pitch to women that when someone shows up with male genitalia in the shower stall, that we tell them we’re trying to build a cohesive team.”
“That probably makes the team a little less cohesive,” he added.
Wormuth then made the incredible, and tone deaf, comment that surveys show women soldiers are more worried about being sexually harassed.
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“Don’t you think someone might get sexually harassed if they’re showering with a biological male? Don’t you think that environment could potentially increase that likelihood?” Gaetz shot back.
“It seems a little silly to sit here and have discussions about the flow chart of a sexual harassment complaint when you’ve got people with male genitalia showering with your female soldiers.”
Gaetz then got McConville to concede that the Army would not be able to recruit broadly from the South by continuing to push the transgender agenda.
Gaetz added, “I hope you all will reflect on the damage that this embrace of DEI is doing to the military.”
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