Banks Secures NDAA Amendment to End DEI Practices, Get Rid of Email PronounsMonday, June 22, 2026

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.) secured an amendment in the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), passed by the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) last week, to better align federal law with the Trump administration’s reversal of Biden-era Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion practices and hiring. The bill will now head to the Senate floor for a vote. Read more about Banks’ amendment from Fox News here. Senator Jim Banks: “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. 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.” Provisions in the amendment secured by Senator Banks: Strikes language that prioritizes diversity on promotion boards for active-duty warrant officers, active-duty officers, and reserve officers to ensure promotion board deliberations are based on merit, qualifications, and leadership, rather than demographic considerations. Repeals language prohibiting the Pentagon from banning the use of gender identifiers or personal pronouns in official correspondence, in alignment with Executive Order 14183, limiting the use of invented and identification-based pronouns. Amends language that requires DEI trainings and instead emphasizes instruction on core military values, including honor, courage, commitment, integrity, and excellence. Full text of the SASC NDAA base text available here. Background: Senator Banks is an Afghanistan veteran. During the 117 th Congress, then-Rep. Jim Banks (IN-03) founded and chaired the Anti-Woke Caucus. ###