Politics

EXCLUSIVE: House Republicans Slam Defense Secretary For Focusing On Pride Month, ‘Woke LGBTQ Agenda’

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Thirteen Republicans in the House of Representatives, led by Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, are demanding a full accounting of the Department of Defense’s use of taxpayer dollars to promote Pride Month.

On several social media accounts associated with the U.S. military, the DOD has highlighted initiatives related to Pride Month, including the Air Force’s LGBTQ Initiative Team, which is intended to “identify and address issues impacting diversity and inclusion.” The Air Force also canceled a Drag Queen Story Hour at Ramstein Air Force Base following public criticism from Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

The congressmen are requesting a financial breakdown of all Pride Month-related expenses, arguing that they impact military readiness. (RELATED: REPORT: Pentagon Could Change Policy To Allow Pride Flags On Military Bases)

“The Department of Defense must be focused on the growing threats facing our nation,” the thirteen Republicans write to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. “Your department’s budget is consistently among the highest in the federal government and while you consistently ask Congress for more funding, you’ve chosen to use it to promote social programs instead of advancing military preparedness.”

Read the letter here:

(DAILY CALLER OBTAINED) — … by Henry Rodgers

LGBTQ imagery has not been limited to the DOD during Pride Month, however. The State Department is flying rainbow flags outside several American embassies, including the one in Vatican City. Notably, embassies in several Islamic countries, including Saudi Arabia and Iraq, did not fly pride flags in 2021, the first year diplomats were allowed to do so. The Biden administration’s guidelines do not require ambassadors to fly the flag.

“The Left’s woke LGBTQ agenda has infiltrated the U.S. military under the Biden regime,” Biggs said in a statement to the Daily Caller. “The U.S. military is designed to defend our nation and our freedoms. However, it is unacceptably using taxpayer money to advance a social agenda and virtue signal.”

“Adversaries like China and Russia are making a mockery of the Biden Administration’s leadership priorities. We should be promoting our military capabilities—not rainbow bullets. Secretary Austin must provide a breakdown of how taxpayer money is being spent during Pride Month and how these initiatives enhance military readiness.”

A report released by four Republican members of Congress in July 2021 found that the U.S. Navy is unprepared for major conflict due to a lack of focus on combat-related activities. Instead, the report found, the naval chain of command spends most of its time concentrating on “programs to encourage diversity, human sex trafficking prevention, suicide prevention, sexual assault prevention, and others.”