House GOP vs. the Pentagon: Get ready for the ‘woke’ wars
Empowered Republicans plan to rough up the brass over vaccine mandates, diversity initiatives and more.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy speaks.
“I’ve watched what the Democrats have done in many of these, especially in the NDAA and the wokeism that they want to bring in there,” Kevin McCarthy told reporters on Capitol Hill. | Samuel Corum/Getty Images
By CONNOR O’BRIEN
11/18/2022 05:44 PM EST
Republicans are six weeks away from taking over the House, but they’re already previewing a clash with the Pentagon over its Biden-era policies.
This week, would-be House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Congress should delay the National Defense Authorization Act until next year, citing the need for the new majority to crack open the bill and try to roll back policies meant to make the service more inclusive.
“I’ve watched what the Democrats have done in many of these, especially in the NDAA and the wokeism that they want to bring in there,” McCarthy told reporters on Capitol Hill this week. “I actually believe the NDAA should hold up until the first of the year, and let’s get it right.”
He didn’t cite a specific issue, but Republicans use the term wokeism to refer to a Fox News-fueled litany of complaints against Defense Department policies — from vaccine mandates to efforts to root out extremism to a push to create more diversity in the ranks. All are framed as distractions that weaken the military and keep it from being able to counter China.
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/18/house-gop-vs-the-pentagon-get-ready-for-the-woke-wars-00069557
