The administration of President Joe Biden is fighting a new clause in the annual defense budget bill that would force military promotions to only be based on merit, without considering race or gender.

In a July 10th statement, the White House described a number provisions that it opposed, from the creation of a Space Force National Guard, to efforts to rollback some of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies (DEI) implemented by Biden at the start of his presidency.

The Office of Management and Budget issued a statement that read: “The Administration strongly objects to the House’s attempts to eliminate long-standing DEIA initiatives and related initiatives by the Department (sections 364, 523, 566, 595, 596, 598, 904, and 1046) to eliminate the Department’s longstanding DEIA and other initiatives to promote an inclusive and cohesive force.” As stated in the 2022 NDS document, the Department has as a top priority building a resilient Joint Force.

The diverse and dynamic talent pool that we have is DoD’s competitive advantage in the complex global security environment. Diverse perspectives, skillsets, and experiences are essential to our ability to be a leader in the world, prevent war, and maintain national security. DoD is also committed to creating and maintaining a respectful, safe, and dignified workplace. The OMB statement added that legislation that limits DoD’s capacity to create an environment of positive working conditions and to fully utilize the best the nation has to provide puts the Department in a strategic disadvantage.

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Rep. Jim Banks, (R-IN), called the White House’s rejection of provisions he drafted — the merit clause as well as the clauses that repealed Biden’s DEI initiative — a badge of honor. He added: “Wokeness will destroy our military if we do not stop it.”

The merit clause does not mention race or gender. It simply states: “A candidate will be evaluated based on qualifications, performance and integrity, fitness, training, and conduct.” No decision may be made based on nepotism or favoritism, and no quotas may be used.

Rep. Chip Roy, R-TX, supported the removal of DEI provisions in military promotions. He added, “What we are trying to achieve is a race-neutral, colorblind worldview where we focus on building national defense and a militaries that focuses on, you’ll know, blowing up things and killing people, and not on social engineering wrapped into a uniform.”

Biden’s administration doesn’t seem to agree with this view.