Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN) is working to further reverse the Biden administration’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices in the Department of War (DOW) with an amendment to the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which will soon be up for a vote.
The NDAA, Congress’s must-pass funding bill for the Pentagon, will likely be the most expensive yet, with the support of President Donald Trump. In January, he released a statement on Truth Social calling for a military budget increase, raising the target from $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion.
The previous record-setting NDAA was for fiscal year 2026, with Congress authorizing $900.6 billion in December 2025. Earlier this month, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) approved a $1.15 trillion budget for 2027.
Provisions in the amendment authored by Banks include striking “language that prioritizes diversity” on DOW promotion boards instead of focusing on “merit, qualifications, and leadership,” a statement from his office read.
Banks’ amendment would also repeal language prohibiting the Pentagon from banning the use of gender identifiers or personal pronouns in official communications, like emails, in accordance with Trump’s Executive Order 14183.
Furthermore, the amendment amends language that mandates DEI training, instead emphasizing “core military values,” including “honor, courage, commitment, integrity, and excellence.”
With this anti-DEI amendment attached to the version of the NDAA passed by the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), the bill faces over 50 other amendments as it faces floor consideration.
“President Trump and Secretary Hegseth are turning the Pentagon around by getting rid of the Biden-era DEI nonsense that hurt morale and took focus away from the mission,” Banks said in a statement to Breitbart News. “Our military should be focused on winning wars, not pushing political agendas. I’m proud to have fought for this amendment to reinforce these reforms.”
Olivia Rondeau is a politics reporter for Breitbart News based in Washington, DC. Find her on X/Twitter and Instagram.
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