Washington, D.C. – Today, on the 75th anniversary of the Presidential executive order that desegregated the military, U.S. Representative Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) introduced the Equal and Uniform Treatment in the Military (EQUITY) Act to codify equality in the armed forces into law and prohibit discrimination.
“A diverse military is a strong military, and addressing our recruitment and retention challenges is vital to shoring up our national security and ensuring readiness,” said Rep. Strickland. “As efforts to undermine diversity and inclusion in our armed forces continue, Congress must commit to any and all methods of supporting our servicemembers and their families, including enshrining equality in our military into law.”
Strickland’s legislation acknowledges the recruiting crisis facing the armed forces and attempts to make careers in the military more appealing to recruitable adults who will be majority people of color in the next four years. The bill also seeks to address retention challenges by codifying nondiscrimination when considering promotions, advancement, and more.
Current Department of Defense policy prohibits discrimination in the armed forces as directed by the President in his capacity as the Commander in Chief. Strickland’s legislation would prohibit discrimination in the armed forces by law.
House co-sponsors for the EQUITY Act are Veronica Escobar (TX-16), Terri Sewell (AL-07), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Jennifer L. McClellan (VA-04), André Carson (IN-07), Linda Sanchez (CA-38), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Steven Horsford (NV-04), Jill Tokuda (HI-02), and Marc Veasey (TX-33).
U.S. Representative Marilyn Strickland serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. She is the Congressional Black Caucus whip, a member of the New Democrat Coalition, one of the first Korean-American women elected to Congress, and the first African-American elected to represent the Pacific Northwest at the federal level.
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