Pentagon's Plan to Spend Over $100M on Diversity Training Sparks Fury

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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

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Several Republican lawmakers, including MAGA loyalists, complained about the Biden administration's request for more than $114 million to spend on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in 2024.

"The Pentagon is asking for $114 million to spend on DEI programs next year. This is just days after they failed an audit for $1.6 trillion," Republican Representative Lauren Boebert of Colorado wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday. "If you're waiting for the punchline, it's not coming. This isn't a joke."

Separately, the GOP-controlled House Oversight Committee wrote on X: "The Biden Admin's focus on progressivism over warfighting continues to exacerbate the military recruiting crisis and calls into question our level of military preparedness."

The request from the Department of Defense (DOD) is the biggest of its kind in recent years. The funds would be used on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) programs in the 2024 fiscal year.

Greene, Boebert
Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Lauren Boebert (R-CO) during a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol on February 1, 2023, in Washington, D.C. The congresswomen said they oppose the DOD request for $114 million in... Drew Angerer/Getty Images

"The FY 2024 President's Budget request demonstrates the DOD's commitment to DEIA and includes $114.7 million for dedicated diversity and inclusion activities," reads the department's Strategic Management Plan for fiscal year 2022 to 2026.

"This funding across the Military Departments, OSD Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute is investing in programs and initiatives aimed at furthering DEIA, and incorporating DEIA values, objectives, and considerations in how we do business and execute our missions."

It isn't yet known in detail which initiatives will benefit from the new funding. In response to a request for comment from Newsweek, the DOD said it would be inappropriate to comment on pending legislation.

Newsweek contacted Boebert's office for comment by email on Wednesday.

The DOD request met the opposition of several conservative Republicans, who were already angered by the department's failure of its annual audit for the sixth-consecutive year. The DOD passed only seven out of 29 sub-audits in the 2023 fiscal year.

"The Pentagon has no idea where the hell all the taxpayer money that has been funding it went for the past 6 years, but they have the audacity to ask for more funding for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs?," Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, a Donald Trump loyalist, wrote on X.

"Does Joe Biden want the military to be a lethal fighting force or a clown show??," she added.

Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah wrote on the same social media platform: "No," while Republican Representative Mark Alford of Missouri wrote about the new DOD request for funding: "Not happening."

Newsweek contacted Greene's spokesperson by email and Lee's office by phone for comment on Wednesday.

Update 11/22/23, 9 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from the DOD.

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About the writer

Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property ... Read more