Sen. Jim Banks Secures Anti-DEI Amendment in Defense Bill

Senator Jim Banks (R-IN), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has secured an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that targets Biden-era diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies within the Pentagon, replacing them with merit-based standards for promotions and training. The $1.15 trillion defense policy package advanced from the Senate Armed Services Committee in a party-line vote and is now headed to the Senate floor for debate.

The Amendment’s Three Provisions

Banks’ amendment, first reported by Fox News, includes three specific provisions aimed at reversing DEI practices that became embedded across the Defense Department during the Biden administration.

First, it eliminates diversity-based prioritization for active-duty warrant officers, active-duty officers, and reserve officers seeking promotions. Instead, promotion boards would be directed to focus exclusively on merit, qualifications, and leadership.

Second, the amendment repeals provisions that bar the Pentagon from banning gender identifiers or personal pronouns in official communications. This aligns with an executive order from President Donald Trump stating that “expressing a false ‘gender identity’ divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for Military Service.”

Third, it shifts focus from DEI training to instruction on core military values — honor, courage, commitment, integrity, and excellence.

Codifying Executive Action

The amendment represents a legislative strategy to lock in the Trump administration’s anti-DEI initiatives beyond the current presidency. By embedding these provisions into the NDAA — an annual must-pass bill — Republicans aim to make it significantly harder for a future Democratic administration to reinstate DEI policies, which would require new legislation to reverse.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has led the broader campaign to eliminate what he calls “woke” policies from the military. Hegseth previously declared that “DEI is dead at DOD” and stated that “99.9%” of DEI initiatives have been eliminated under Trump’s watch, as Fox News reported. He has argued that “real toxic leadership is promoting people based on immutable characteristics or quotas instead of based on merit.”

Banks framed his amendment as a direct continuation of those efforts. “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. “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.”

Broader NDAA Context

The FY2027 NDAA is one of Congress’s must-pass bills and includes numerous other provisions beyond the anti-DEI amendment. These include a 3.6% pay raise for all service members, expansion of Title IX protections for women’s sports across DOD education activities, and funding for unmanned systems, AI capabilities, and cyber operations.

Banks also secured a separate provision requiring military service academies to accept the Classical Learning Test (CLT) as an admissions option, as Breitbart reported.

Political Implications

The committee vote on the NDAA reflected the partisan divide over cultural amendments to defense policy. While the NDAA has historically enjoyed bipartisan support, provisions targeting DEI policies could complicate final passage. Similar dynamics played out in the House in 2023 when anti-woke amendments drew Democratic opposition.

Supporters of the amendment argue that DEI policies undermined military readiness, hurt morale, and distracted from the core mission of national defense. Critics would likely contend that DEI policies are essential for addressing systemic inequities, improving recruitment from diverse populations, and maintaining a military that reflects the nation it serves.

What’s Next

The full Senate is expected to debate and vote on the NDAA in the coming weeks. After passage, the Senate version must be reconciled with the House version in conference committee before final passage and a presidential signature. Legal challenges from civil rights organizations could follow, arguing that the provisions discriminate against LGBTQ+ service members and undermine diversity efforts.

Banks’ broader legislative push on military culture continues alongside the NDAA process. He previously introduced the Promoting Classical Learning Act in May 2025, and his office has criticized the College Board as a “taxpayer-funded monopoly” that influences school curricula nationwide despite being unelected and unaccountable.

As the NDAA moves toward a floor vote, the amendment represents a significant step in the ongoing battle over the military’s approach to diversity, merit, and culture — a fight that shows no signs of resolution regardless of which party controls the White House.