The critical struggle of the theory of the races is obtained in the marking of the defense bill:

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Republican lawmakers, including Republican Study Committee Chairman Jim Banks of Indiana and Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee, supported the amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act, a bill defense that authorizes spending levels and defines the priorities of the U.S. military.

Critical race theory recognizes that systemic racism is part of American society and challenges the beliefs that allow it to flourish. While the theory began decades ago as a way to examine how laws and systems foster inequality, it has acquired a new urgency since last year’s series of assassinations of African Americans by agents. of police, which led to a national count on race. Conservatives, including banks, have criticized the concept as anti-American.

“Everyone in this room knows that this is the greatest country in the history of this world. Are we perfect? ​​No, our history is perfect? ​​Of course not. But there is nothing that comes close to that we have in America And it’s not sustainable to say anything to our troops in any other way. In fact, it’s dangerous. “

Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida called the critical theory of races “poison.”

“It alters our fellow Americans,” Gaetz said. “It’s not what we need in our military, in our schools, in our lives, or anywhere else in a great nation.”

Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria of Virginia, a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and a Navy veteran, delivered one of the strongest reproaches of the night, blowing up her “completely unserious” colleagues for proposing amendments. that “they are a waste of time and do not curse to improve our national security.”

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“We sat here and debated critical career theory for an hour and 18 minutes,” Luria said. “That’s two and a half times the 29 minutes we spent raising the defense budget by $ 24 billion, an amendment that actually provides a real deterrent to the Chinese Communist Party.”

Luria was referring to the more than a dozen Democrats on the committee who joined Republicans to easily pass a Republican Party measure that increased the Pentagon’s budget by $ 24 billion earlier on the committee’s balance sheet.

Other Democrats stressed the importance of teaching history in addition to addressing racism, but questioned the relevance of the entire debate, noting that critical race theory was not a concept the Department of Defense adopted or promoted. officially.

“This is going to have a creepy effect,” committee chairman Adam Smith, a Washington State Democrat, said about the amendments. “And for what? To prevent the military from indoctrinating people with something that doesn’t indoctrinate people. That’s why raising these issues is harmful, harmful, and useless at the same time.”

Smith added that passing these amendments “would discourage military people from trying to address issues of diversity and racism.”

“We have to teach the truth about American history. All of American history, including slavery, including Jim Crow,” said Democratic Rep. Steven Horsford of Nevada. “And, being honest about our past, we can actually teach the harsh truths about our country.”

CNN’s Faith Karimi contributed to this report.

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