Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has made it a priority to remove diversity, equity and inclusion policies from the Pentagon, and Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., is backing those efforts through an amendment to Congress's annual defense authorization bill.

The amendment, included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), would reverse Biden-era DEI practices that Banks says seeped into hiring, communication and training at the Department of Defense. The $1.15 trillion NDAA authorizes funding for Pentagon operations and must pass each year to keep military programs funded.

"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 provided to Fox News Digital. "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."

What the Left Is Saying

Democratic lawmakers and progressive advocacy groups have opposed efforts to eliminate DEI programs from the military, arguing that diversity considerations help ensure equal opportunity for women and minorities in promotion processes.

Rep. Marilyn Strickland, D-Wash., who previously led the Congressional Black Caucus, has argued that merit-based systems must be carefully designed to avoid perpetuating existing disparities. "We have to make sure that when we talk about merit, we're not just talking about the people who've always had a seat at the table," she said during a 2024 congressional hearing.

Veterans and military advocacy groups focused on inclusion have raised concerns that removing diversity outreach from recruitment could shrink the talent pool. The Service Women's Action Network and other organizations have pushed for maintaining programs designed to help service members from underrepresented backgrounds advance through ranks.

"The goal should be ensuring every qualified person can rise based on their abilities, but history shows that without attention to equity, certain groups get left behind," according to a statement from the Truman Center, a national security advocacy organization. "Blind merit systems have not always been blind in practice."

What the Right Is Saying

Republicans supporting the amendment say it restores focus on military readiness and combat capability over social programs.

"Real toxic leadership is endangering subordinates with low standards," Hegseth said last year. "Real toxic leadership is promoting people based on immutable characteristics or quotas instead of based on merit." The secretary has repeatedly emphasized lethality as the Pentagon's primary mission under his tenure.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, called Banks' amendment a common-sense reform. "Our troops deserve to know that when they go up for promotion, it's their performance and leadership abilities that matter—not checking boxes," Tuberville said in a post on social media.

Conservative groups praised the provision as returning the military to its core mission. "The Pentagon should be preparing for war, not running HR programs," said Dan Caldwell, senior vice president at Concerned Veterans for America. "This amendment ensures promotion boards focus on who can best serve and defend the country."

What the Numbers Show

Women comprise approximately 17% of active-duty military forces across all branches but represent only about 8% of general officers, according to Pentagon demographic data from 2024.

The Biden administration expanded DEI programs at the Defense Department between 2021 and 2025. A Government Accountability Office report from 2023 found that the Pentagon spent an estimated $6 million annually on diversity training contracts during that period.

Military recruitment has faced challenges in recent years, with all branches falling short of recruitment goals in fiscal year 2024. The Army missed its target by approximately 10,000 soldiers, according to Defense Department figures.

The NDAA has passed Congress for 63 consecutive years, making it one of the few must-pass bills that reliably moves through both chambers with broad bipartisan support, though individual provisions within the bill often generate partisan debate.

The Bottom Line

The Banks amendment represents the latest effort by Trump administration officials and congressional Republicans to dismantle Biden-era diversity programs across federal agencies. If included in the final NDAA, it would require promotion boards to evaluate candidates based solely on merit, qualifications and leadership qualities while eliminating any consideration of demographic factors.

The provision also aligns with an executive order from President Trump restricting gender identifier use in official government communications. Hegseth has stated that "99.9%" of DEI initiatives have been removed from the military under Trump's administration.

Democratic opponents are expected to push for changes during NDAA conference negotiations between House and Senate versions of the bill. The amendment's fate will likely depend on whether leadership from both parties can reach a compromise on defense policy priorities before the current budget authorization expires.