Working to Address Recruiting and Retention to Improve Our Readiness Act or the WARRIOR Act
This bill addresses the funding of certain Department of Defense (DOD) activities as well as certain personnel and training matters.
The bill prohibits the use of federal funds to (1) take into consideration race, ethnicity, color, national origin, or gender of an individual when making a determination regarding a military accession, assignment, selection, or promotion; (2) promote at the service academies, in military training, or in professional military education the theory that individuals, by virtue of race, ethnicity, color, or national origin, bear collective responsibility for actions committed in the past by individuals of such race, ethnicity, color, or national origin; or (3) investigate extremism in the Armed Forces or DOD.
The bill also requires the military departments to establish gender-neutral physical readiness standards.
DOD must freeze the number of civilian employees who perform tasks related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). DOD may hire only one DEI employee for every 2,000 members who join the Armed Forces.
The service academies may not employ as instructors individuals who are not members of the Armed Forces or civilian DOD employees unless no member or DOD employee may be adequately trained for such purpose.
DOD must appoint a Director of COVID Policy to determine and implement actions regarding members of the Armed Forces who are involuntarily separated solely on the basis of refusing to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.
DOD must submit a cost-benefit analysis and certain certifications to Congress in order to use federal funds for environmental projects.
[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3278 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3278
To limit the use of military personnel for certain purposes, to direct
the Secretary of Defense to appoint a Director of COVID Policy of the
Department of Defense, and to limit environmental projects of such
Department.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 11, 2023
Mr. Waltz introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on
Oversight and Accountability, for a period to be subsequently
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To limit the use of military personnel for certain purposes, to direct
the Secretary of Defense to appoint a Director of COVID Policy of the
Department of Defense, and to limit environmental projects of such
Department.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Working to Address Recruiting and
Retention to Improve Our Readiness Act'' or the ``WARRIOR Act''.
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) throughout history, men and women of all colors,
creeds, races, and religions have helped build, defend, and
define our great Nation;
(2) the rich diversity we see in American society today has
been greatly influenced by the Constitution and the merit-based
structure of our Armed Forces;
(3) recent, perhaps well-intentioned, diversity, equity,
and inclusion programs within the Department have caused
greater division within the Armed Forces;
(4) some of these programs are diverting focus and
resources away from force readiness against our potential
adversaries;
(5) the Armed Forces should provide equal opportunity for
all members;
(6) advancement and selection in the Armed Forces should be
based solely on merit;
(7) photos of members should not considered by promotion
and selection boards; and
(8) the needs of the Armed Forces should always take
precedence over meeting artificially derived quotas for
diversity.
SEC. 3. LIMITATIONS ON USE OF MILITARY PERSONNEL FOR CERTAIN PURPOSES.
(a) Prohibitions on Uses of Federal Funds.--No Federal funds may be
used to--
(1) take into consideration the race, ethnicity, color,
national origin, or gender of an individual when making a
determination regarding a military accession, assignment,
selection, or promotion;
(2) promote critical race theory at a Service Academy, in
military training, or in professional military education; or
(3) investigate extremism in the Armed Forces or Department
of Defense.
(b) Gender-Neutral Physical Standards.--Not later than 180 days
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretaries of the
military departments shall establish gender-neutral physical readiness
standards that ensure members can perform the duties of their
respective military occupational specialties.
(c) DEI Hiring Freeze.--Effective on the date of the enactment of
this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall freeze the number of civilian
employees of the Department of Defense who perform tasks related to
DEI. Thereafter, the Secretary may hire only one such employee for
every 2,000 members who join the Armed Forces.
(d) DEI Report.--Not later than December 1, 2023, the Secretary of
Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate
and House of Representatives a report on programs of the Department of
Defense related to DEI. Such report shall include the following:
(1) The number of such programs.
(2) The number of personnel assigned to carry out such
programs.
(3) The number of personnel hours spent on each such
program.
(4) The total costs to the Federal Government for such
programs.
(e) Instructors at Service Academies.--The Superintendent of a
Service Academy may not employ as an instructor at such Service Academy
an individual who is not a member of the Armed Forces or a civilian
employee of the Department of Defense unless the Superintendent
determines no such member or employee may be adequately trained for
such purpose.
(f) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) The term ``critical race theory'' means the theory that
individuals, by virtue of race, ethnicity, color, or national
origin, bear collective guilt and are inherently responsible
for actions committed in the past by other individuals of such
race, ethnicity, color, or national origin.
(2) The term ``DEI'' means diversity, equity, and
inclusion.
(3) The term ``Service Academy'' has the meaning given such
term in section 347 of title 10, United States Code.
SEC. 4. APPOINTMENT OF DIRECTOR OF COVID POLICY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF
DEFENSE.
The Secretary of Defense shall appoint a Director of COVID Policy
to determine and take any action the Director determines appropriate
regarding a member of the Armed Forces involuntarily separated solely
on the basis of refusing to receive a vaccination against COVID-19.
Such actions may include reinstatement and payment of back pay.
SEC. 5. LIMITATION ON ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECTS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF
DEFENSE.
No Federal funds may be used for any environmental project of the
Department of Defense unless the Secretary of Defense submits to the
Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and House of Representatives
a report in which the Secretary that contains--
(1) a cost-benefit analysis of such project; and
(2) the certification of the Secretary that such project--
(A) improves readiness; and
(B) is the least costly option.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Llama 3.2 · runs locally in your browser
Ask anything about this bill. The AI reads the full text to answer.
Enter to send · Shift+Enter for new line