The U.S. Supreme Court ruled affirmative action for college and university admission was no longer permissible. However, as Business Insider noted, military academies are exempt from this rule. Representative Mike Waltz (R-FL) called the exemption "incredibly disappointing" and "somewhat incoherent" in a recent appearance on Fox Business's Varney & Co.
"If there is any entity in America that absolutely must be a pure meritocracy where we have to have the best of the best, it's in our military," said Rep. Waltz.
Additionally, he stated the military is "overrepresented" with minorities, with data provided by Military One Source showing as of 2021, 31% of active duty personnel are of minority background, with nearly 18% being Hispanic or Latino alone.
Moreover, he reiterated that racial diversity does not affect a unit's effectiveness in combat.
"The Pentagon cannot provide me any data that shows that a fighter squadron or a tank battalion is more lethal or more ready depending on its diversity mix. So I think that is frankly a tired talking point. We've got to have the best of the best," said Waltz.
In November, Waltz hosted a discussion on Fox News's American Warriors criticizing the emphasis on diversity the Biden Administration seemed to push, saying, "In the foxhole, race, religion, & socio-economic background don't matter."
"In the foxhole, race, religion, & socio-economic background don't matter. As a Green Beret, I learned that as Americans serving our country and a cause greater than ourselves — the only “colors” we saw were red, white & blue," said Waltz.
In January, Waltz tweeted a Heritage Foundation poll showing 69% of active duty servicemembers believed the military was politicized, slamming the Pentagon for pushing "domestic culture wars."
"The Pentagon should be focused on winning America’s future wars rather than prioritizing divisive programs and issues. The Pentagon should be focused on how best to counter our global adversaries like China and recruiting the best and brightest to our ranks," Waltz stated.
More recently, Waltz introduced the WARRIOR Act which sought to audit Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, ban Critical Race Theory (CRT), and perform cost-benefit analyses of "green energy" projects for military use before Congressional authorization of funds.
