WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the U.S. Senate voted 77-20 to pass the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes provisions that erode the ability of the U.S. military to recruit and retain a diverse and inclusive workforce. The bill now heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law.
In response, Gaylynn Burroughs, vice president of education and workplace justice at the National Women’s Law Center Action Fund, issued the following statement:
“From desegregating the military, to allowing women to serve in combat, to repealing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ our armed forces have steadily moved toward recruiting and retaining service members who reflect the full diversity of this country. This year’s NDAA is an attempt to reverse that progress by dismantling efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion—at the very moment that Secretary Hegseth is forcing his sexist and backwards agenda on service members.
“Diversity is essential in attracting and retaining talented individuals for our all-volunteer armed forces, strengthening both readiness and national security. We are deeply disappointed that Congress included these discriminatory measures in this year’s bill, which only serve to keep us less safe.”
Anti-equality measures in FY26’s NDAA include:
- Prohibiting any diversity, equity, and inclusion practices/programs at the DoD, including any officers, plans, reports, training courses, and more.
- Eliminating measures intended to support the Inspector General’s oversight of supremacist, extremist, and criminal gang activity in the Department of Defense (DoD), including in the military.
- This rider ignores the need for the importance of these resources, as shown in the 2024 DoD IG report that found 91 substantiated allegations of supremacist, extremist, or criminal gang activity in the military.
- Repealing multiple statutory provisions, including those intended to understand and address barriers to diversity and inclusion.
- A ban on all transgender women participating in military academy sports teams;
The National Women’s Law Center Action Fund previously joined the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Legal Defense Fund in leading efforts to oppose discriminatory riders that ultimately were included in the final FY 2026 NDAA.
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