Announcement By the Acting Chair

Floor Speech

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Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Chair, again, I cannot believe we are sitting here debating this issue with all of the problems this country has. The fact that we are taking up this much time is bizarre to me.

The overview of this amendment is the fact that the military's sole purpose is to provide for the defense of our Nation. Our military's focus should be the protection of the American people and our freedoms, not liberals' feelings.

Therefore, my amendment would eliminate any offices of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Armed Forces and the Department of Defense.

We should be spending our hard-earned tax dollars to focus on diversity of ideas. We should be focused on diversity of ideas and opinions, not races and genders. DEI programs tend to be ineffective, and the cost to the taxpayer is spending more money that we don't have.

To sum this up, a woke military is a weak military. The fact is that woke ideology undermines military readiness in various ways. It undermines cohesiveness by emphasizing differences based on race, ethnicity, and sex.

It undermines leadership authority by introducing questions about whether promotion is based on merit or quota requirements.

It leads to military personnel serving in specialties and areas for which they are not qualified or ready. It takes time and resources away from training activities and weapons development that contribute to the readiness.

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Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Chair, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Rogers).

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Mr. NORMAN. Will the gentleman yield?

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Mr. NORMAN. It is not.

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Mr. NORMAN. Correct.

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Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Chair, this is not about taking away anybody's career. This is not about trying to harm people.

The brave men and women who serve in our military do it because they are a family, and the whole point of this bill, this amendment, is to get the recruiting where it needs to be. We are 30 percent down.

As of today, we have spent $1.4 billion on an equity action plan, and nobody has any idea where that money is going. It is high time that we just cut it out and get back to what the military is supposed to do, which is to protect this Nation.

As Eli Crane said, who has been on the front lines, this country is in trouble. This country has other Nations that want to do harm to us. By eliminating this, we will take the first step in hopefully getting safety back at the forefront.

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Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Chair, may I inquire as to how much time is remaining.

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Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Chair, I would say we do have a difference of opinion on what diversity is. I believe diversity is diversity of new ideas. Diversity is not based on your race or your ethnicity.

That is where we are in this country now. We hire the finest to go into the military not because of the color of their skin and really not because of their sexual preference.

This is just continuing to try to claim everyone is victimized in this country. Well, I am sorry. It is time for us to put the priorities in place.

This administration has been more divisive and is more concerned about ensuring cadets use the right pronouns. How stupid is that? How uncaring is that about the men that are serving?

This administration is more concerned about the government forcing our military to take shots. That is not their role. That is why some of the recruiting is down.

Yes, it is down. We are weak. Why do you think China is doing what they are doing? Why do you think Russia is doing what they are doing?

This would have never happened under a strong administration led by Donald Trump, and to this administration, you don't keep peace by weakness.

The purpose of my amendment will strengthen the military, and that is my first and number one goal, which is the security of this country.

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Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Chair, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa), my good friend.

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Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
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Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Chair, what my amendment does is codify the Trump administration's guidance to prohibit the display of unapproved flags.

My amendment prohibits any member of the Armed Forces or civilian employees of the Department of Defense from displaying a flag other than an approved flag in a workplace, a public area, a training facility, or other areas owned or leased by the Department of Defense.

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Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Chair, let me reiterate, flags mean something. We wear flags on our sleeves. We honor it prominently on parade fields. We carry it in combat. We drape it over the coffins of those who have given their lives for this Nation.

Approved flags include the American flag; the flag of a State or the District of Columbia; a general officer flag; a presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed civilian flag; a Senior Executive Service and military department-specific flag; a POW-MIA flag; the flag of another country that is an ally or a partner of the United States or for official protocol purposes; the flag of an organization in which the United States is a member; a ceremonial, command, unit, or branch flag or guidon.

In the words of former Secretary of the Army Mark Esper: ``Flags are powerful symbols, particularly in the military community, for whom flags embody common mission, common histories, and the special, timeless bond of warriors.''

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Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Chair, may I inquire how much time I have remaining?

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Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Chair, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

I will just sum this up: Flags have meaning. Flags have purpose. Flags are a symbol of a great nation, as America is. Flags mean something. It is not something to be flippant about. It is not something to take lightly.

To my friends on the other side of the aisle, this amendment has nothing to do with medical service. It has nothing to do with a lot of things that have been brought up. This is about having the Department of Defense approve flags before they go up, pure and simple. Nothing else.

I would just say that, as we debate this, I am still amazed that we are spending the time here. I think the diversion that the left wants to provide in the House is to try to move the ball and get the American public off the real problems that we are facing, which are a weakness that we have now under this administration, which is a denial of where we are as a country.

It is time to take our country back. It boils down to one issue. We are going to preserve our freedom, and we are going to fight for it. A flag represents that.

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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