Will Rep. Trent Kelly, named to House conference committee on military budget, fight to keep the Defense Department from funding ‘woke agendas?’

Representative Trent Kelly (R-MS 1) has been appointed to the House and Senate conference committee that will shape the 2024 National Defense Reauthorization Act (NDAA), which allocates funding for the military. The committee will have to decide whether to keep the Senate version of the bill, which includes controversial social spending, or the House version, which removes such spending.

Rep. Trent Kelly’s appointment to the NDAA conference committee was announced recently. According to his website, Kelly has served in the Mississippi Army National Guard for 37 years, has deployed to Iraq, serving as a Battalion Commander.

In a radio interview, Kelly expressed his opposition to “woke agendas” in the military, stating, “We’ve got more important things to do than focus on woke agendas, we’re focusing on defending this great nation.”

The House version of the NDAA, which passed in July, includes provisions that restrict social spending. It authorizes $886 billion for national defense programs and includes measures to counter China’s influence, promote tech innovation, and enhance military readiness and missile defense capabilities.

The House version also includes several provisions that eliminate Pentagon Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs and personnel, block military school libraries from acquiring “pornographic and radical gender ideology books,” and prohibit the Department of Defense (DOD) from covering gender reassignment procedures.

Additionally, the House version includes an amendment that would codify a ban on drag shows on military bases and prevent DOD funding for such performances.

Congressman Jim Banks introduced several amendments to the House bill, which his office referred to as “anti-woke amendments.” These amendments suspend the Navy’s Digital Ambassador Program, which had been using drag queen videos for recruitment purposes, and address racial quotas in admissions to service academies and DOD policies related to promotions and assignments.

A recent report found that US service members spent over 5.8 million man-hours on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion trainings and seminars since President Biden took office. The DOD spent $476,874 on DEI trainings during that period.

A survey conducted by the Heritage Foundation revealed that 68% of active service members had witnessed politicization in the military, and 65% expressed concerns about this trend.

The conference committee, which includes Rep. Trent Kelly, will play a crucial role in determining the final version of the NDAA, including whether to maintain the Senate’s controversial social spending or adopt the House’s stripped-down approach.