Defense contractors embracing DEI could be target of Trump’s second term

President-elect Donald Trump is set to issue a wave of changes to the defense industry when he takes office and is expected to overturn several Biden administration policies focused on DEI initiatives. That putsseveral defense contractors under the microscope as Republican lawmakers make plans to bring an end to diversity programs in the Pentagon and the defense industry as a whole.

“Under the Trump administration, extreme and divisive DEI initiatives across the Pentagon and government agencies will come to an end,” Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) told the Washington Examiner.

“Taxpayer dollars should strengthen our military and national security — not fund radical agendas that distract and divide us.

America’s defense industries must focus on protecting our nation and ensuring we lead with strength and unity on the world stage.”

Republicans have long sought to crack down on DEI initiatives in the defense sector but have lacked the power to do so over the last four years with Democrats in charge of the White House and Senate.

But GOP lawmakers in the House have attempted to use their majority to pass bills signaling their plans to dismantle DEI programs, as evidenced by the lower chamber’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act passed earlier this summer.

The spending bill included a number of culture war amendments targeting abortion access and transgender military members — proposals deemed dead on arrival in the Democratic-controlled Senate but could see new light when Republicans take control of the upper chamber in January.

“The American people spoke loud and clear when they elected President Trump and Republican majorities: they are sick of the Left’s obsession with DEI,” Sen.-elect Jim Banks (R-IN) told the Washington Examiner.

“Taxpayers should not subsidize this radical woke agenda, and President Trump will put a stop to it.”

Republicans are already preparing for a massive defense overhaul under the Trump administration, which was seemingly confirmed with the president-elect’s nomination of Pete Hegseth to become the next secretary of defense.

Hegseth has repeatedly criticized diversity concerning the military, once referring to it as the “dumbest phrase on planet earth.” With his nomination and others in Trump’s administration, those in his close circles have hinted that organizations outside of the defense industry may also come under fire.

“President Trump is putting together a stellar Cabinet that is focused on America First and helping all Americans,” Kimberly Guilfoyle, fiancée to Donald Trump Jr. and who worked on Trump’s 2020 campaign, told the Washington Examiner. 

“Companies pushing woke policies like DEI are in for a rude awakening.”

Several GOP sources close to the president-elect’s team and the Senate told the Washington Examiner that Lockheed Martin will be among the targeted defense contractors in the forthcoming Trump era.  

“Lockheed Martin has been the poster child for DEI,” one source close to the Trump transition said. “I imagine the Trump administration will give them increased scrutiny for embracing the left. It could harm Lockheed’s ability to navigate this new Washington.”

Weapons contractor Lockheed Martin took part in this year’s DC Pride Parade. pic.twitter.com/TKEtdZGmMA

— In Context (@incontextmedia) June 11, 2023

Those involved with those plans pointed to the firm’s policies implemented over the last several years, including a training program reported by Fox News that Lockheed Martin executives and employees underwent that reportedly taught being “a white male was analogous to being a KKK member.”

But, while some of those in GOP circles seek to paint Lockheed as an anti-Trump entity with its DEI policies, the defense contractor has aligned itself with the president-elect in the past — working closely with his administration and benefitting from many of his policies.

“As we did in his first term, we look forward to a strong working relationship with President Trump, his team, and also with the new Congress to strengthen our national defense,” a spokesperson for Lockheed Martin told the Washington Examiner. “We are aligned with the focus of building mission-critical defense technology that helps keep Americans and our allies safe, and to that end, we follow responsible business practices expected by our customers, investors, employees, and other stakeholders.”

Other defense contractors that could come under fire include RTX Corporation, Boeing, and Northrop Grumman Corporation. All have DEI programs publicly listed on their websites, although Boeing has since reportedly dismantled its diversity department.

The Washington Examiner reached out to those defense contractors known for its DEI policies for comment.

First published on the Washington Examiner