Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025

Floor Speech

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Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Chair, the numbers of those willing to serve in the military are now down over 30 percent. The military's sole purpose is to provide for the defense of our great 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 DEI, diversity, equity, and inclusion, in the Armed Forces and in the DOD. We should focus on diversity of ideas and opinions, not races and genders.

DEI programs tend to be ineffective and cost the taxpayers more money, and it has been a very real detriment to the recruitment of our military.

In short order, a woke military is a weak military. Woke ideology undermines military readiness in various ways. It undermines the cohesiveness by emphasizing differences based on race, ethnicity, and sex. It undermines leadership authority by introducing questions about whether a promotion is based on merit or quota requirements. It leads to military personnel serving in specialties and areas for which they are not qualified nor are they ready. It takes time and resources away from training activities and weapons development that contribute to readiness.

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Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Chair, I agree with my friend across the aisle. We shouldn't even be dealing with this, to be honest with you. The fact that money is going to fund this--you don't go to politicians to find out what is wrong with your car. You go to the mechanic. I am in the real estate business. We build houses. If I have trouble with a house, I go to my carpenters.

I would remind my friends on the other side of the aisle that last year 160 retired flag officers wrote a letter to the Armed Services Committee Chairman Rogers about the dangers of DEI and their opposition to it in the military. Mr. Chair, 160 retired flag officers--and I am sure it would be far more than this if you talked to the people that are serving--have pointed out why this is so detrimental.

The officers wrote this:

We respectfully request that Congress take legislative action to remove all diversity, equity, and inclusion programs from the DOD.

Secondly, our military must be laser focused on one mission: readiness, undiminished by culture wars engulfing our country.

Thirdly, the domestic cultural threat has an innocuous name of diversity, equity, and inclusion, but in reality, DEI is dividing, it is not uniting our military service, nor our society.

DEI principles are derived from critical race theory which is rooted in cultural Marxism where people are grouped into identity classes, typically by race, labeled as oppressed or oppressors and victims and pitted against each other.

Under the guise of DEI, some people are selected for career-enhancing opportunities and advancement based on preferences given to identity groups based on race, gender, ethnic background, sexual orientation, et cetera.

It is unbelievable we are even talking about this or funding it.

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Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Chair, I would just add that I think if you took a really diverse group and got opinions on the military, if it were doing so well, why are they 30 percent down in recruitment? Why are people not coming into it?

Less than a month after the appointment by President Biden of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, he directed commanding officers and supervisors at all levels to schedule a day to discuss extremism.

What do you think our foreign adversaries are doing upon hearing this? They are laughing their heads off.

I would just say that we need to support this amendment. Get DEI out of the military. Let's focus on building ships, focus on building airplanes, focus on building missions, not DEI and extremism that my friends on the other side of the aisle want to try to continue to highlight.

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Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Chair, can I inquire as to how much time I have remaining.

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Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Chair, I would just add, I don't know how long my friends on the other side of the aisle are going to keep mentioning the pandemic, COVID, but it is over with, and the shortage still exists.

The fact that, again, we are funding this, devoting a day to discuss it, we ought to be having a day devoted to how to fight and arm our brave men and women who are serving in the military.

Mr. Chair, I urge adoption of this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Chairman, my amendment prohibits the provision of gender transition procedures, including surgery or medication, through an Exceptional Family Member Program.

I think I have heard it all, when my good friend on the other side mentioned that the medical profession was for the surgery. That is like saying the owners of a gas station or a petroleum company are for gasoline production. It is a given.

Everything has got a price tag up here, and when I hear Viagra, I hope and pray that Viagra is not included in what the other side is wanting to do. That is not the place for that, particularly now.

The Exceptional Family Member Program provides resources to military families with special needs. This program is designed for military spouses, children, or other dependent family members who require ongoing medical or educational services such as individuals with asthma, autism, chronic respiratory illness, intellectual disabilities, and much more.

The military has tried to politicize this valuable program in order to get transgender procedures passed. For example, the Air Force suggested using the Exceptional Family Member Program for families who want to help their child transition.

I would just say the other side is taking--and I will list some of the other things that are included in this that already exist that they are paying for--money away from the things I will mention, and I think that is unheard of.

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Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Chair, I will just add to some comments made about medical doctors.

The medical doctors are making money on this. Gas stations make money. The free enterprise system does that, and for them to be in favor of it, they are doing the surgery, and they are getting paid for it.

The military is meant to defend this country, and it has gotten away from that. That is what the American people are so sick of.

In another amendment, I brought up the fact that 168 generals and people active in the military are saying that that is why the recruitment is down 30 percent. It is for just what the other side is trying to oppose.

On my particular amendment, you have to realize this program was meant to help families with special needs.

Now, Mr. Chair, if you don't know whether you are a man or a woman, that is fine, go figure it out, and you pay for it, not the government from money we don't have.

Mr. Chair, let me just name you some of the things that are included now but by providing transgender surgery that will take away from these programs.

I guarantee you, Mr. Chair, you can ask and do a poll of everyone in the balcony: Do you want to do away with funds for life-threatening conditions or chronic conditions for transgender surgery?

Do you want to take away asthma and respiratory-related diagnoses for transgender surgery?

Do you want to delay intellectual development by taking the dollars away for that for transgender surgery?

Attention deficit disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, do you want to take that away?

How about chronic conditions that require adaptive equipment and assistive technology or environmental or architectural considerations?

That is everything that is included.

What the other side wants to do is take money for somebody who doesn't know whether they are a man or a woman. It didn't make sense then, and it doesn't make sense now.

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Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Chair, may I inquire as to the time remaining.

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Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Chair, in closing, what my colleagues are trying to do goes against what the intent for this program was, and I am offended that the gentleman wants to take dollars away from that cancer patient. If my colleague is telling me the cancer patient goes behind somebody who doesn't know whether they are a man or a woman, the gentleman and I just have a basic world view difference.

The price tag for individual gender-affirming surgical procedures and other medical treatments can range from $8,000 to $100,000. I am offended that the gentleman wants to take that from somebody who has a disability.

Mr. Chairman, the fact that we are having to debate this is amazing, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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