Staff Reports
Fox News host Laura Ingraham made waves by calling out a prominent “RINO” House Republican for aligning with Democrats on a vote. Ingraham specifically attacked Ohio Republican Rep Mike Turner for voting with Democrats to shoot down two amendments that would have defunded the DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) initiative which was included in the budget for the U.S. Department of Defense.
Laura Ingraham Names and Shames "RINO" Republican Live on Air for Voting with Demshttps://t.co/0SNqW1nxZc
— The Daily Fetched (@DailyFetched) June 23, 2023
A clip of Matt Gaetz slamming DEI initiatives at a committee hearing was aired on Ingraham’s show to make her point. Gaetz proposed changes that targeted the DEI programs during a markup of the National Defense Authorization Act. One of his amendments was to get rid of the Pentagon’s chief diversity officer, which passed.
DEI training 'dilutes' US military readiness: Matt Gaetz pic.twitter.com/XycHVoQrbg
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) June 23, 2023
However, he wanted to go a step further and eliminate federal funding for all DEI training, which failed after Republicans like Turner and Nebraska Republican Don Bacon joined forces with Democrats to defeat it.
Turner and Bacon were the only two Republicans who voted for the Democrats’ measures, according to Ingraham. Gaetz later commented on the issue, stating that he had talked to Congressman Bacon about the matter. Bacon’s stance is that one amendment would have totally cut all diversity training for the military, which is unreasonable. He claims that all service members should know that racism and sexual harassment are not tolerated in the military.
Gaetz argued that we always have standards in the military that do not allow people to be racist or harmful to their fellow service members, so none of those standards would have changed. The debate was on whether or not we need chief diversity officers and their current salaries, which Gaetz finds to be a waste of funds compared to working service members.
The Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion develops and executes diversity management policies and programs affecting active-duty and reserve component military personnel and DoD employee civilians. The Department of Defense Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion states that the department remains firm in their dedication to promoting an environment free from obstacles that inhibit personnel growth.
In conclusion, Laura Ingraham and Matt Gaetz are in agreement that diversity programs in the Department of Defense are not conducive to military readiness, and they are pushing for funding to be removed. They both feel that the chief diversity officer position and its funding is a waste of taxpayers’ money.
