KEY VOTE: Cosponsorship of the Combating Racist Training in the Military Act of 2021

The Combating Racist Training in the Military Act (S. 968/ H.R. 3134), introduced by Sen. Tom Cotton (R–Ark.) and Rep. Dan Bishop (R–N.C.) would prohibit the Armed Forces and their service academies from promoting racist theories—which the bill defines as teachings that state any race is superior or inferior to another—and the teaching of theories that state the United States or its founding are fundamentally racist. This bill would ensure defense funds are used to keep our country safe, rather than the indoctrination of our military.

CRT is a descendent of critical theory, which was borne from the Marxist “Frankfurt Institute” in the 1920s and 30s, and teaches that America and capitalism are fundamentally racist. As The Heritage Foundation has stated:

Critical race theory (CRT) makes race the prism through which its proponents analyze all aspects of American life, categorizing individuals into groups of oppressors and victims.

When followed to its logical conclusion, CRT is destructive and rejects the fundamental ideas on which our constitutional republic is based. Applying the philosophy would violate a multitude of American civil rights laws by treating people differently according to race. For years, the far-Left has been pushing CRT into all of our public, formative institutions, from public education to the Pentagon. This legislation puts a halt to these efforts in one of our major federal institutions.

Of all the institutions the Left has used to impose this radical ideology on individuals, the ramifications of it taking hold among members of the military are the most serious. Teaching service members that they are inherently superior or inferior to those they serve alongside will demoralize and divide units, undermine cohesion, and make them less effective in combat. In addition to weakening national security, this puts individual soldiers at greater risk on the battlefield.

The mission of the United States Armed Forces is to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic” and “bear true faith and allegiance to the same.” Teaching CRT, which states that the United States and its founding documents—including the Constitution—are fundamentally racist, directly subverts that mission. At a time when aggressors across the globe are threatening American interests and influence, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle should prevent anti-American sentiments from being taught to those risking their lives to defend the greatest country on Earth, and should work to pass the Combating Racist Training in the Military Act.