Office of Rep. Marilyn Strickland press release.
Today (Feb. 25, 2025), during Black History Month, Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) reintroduced the Equal and Uniform Treatment in the Military (EQUITY) Act to codify fairness in the armed forces into law and prohibit discrimination of all kinds.
“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 Strickland. “Any person who is qualified to serve our country should be able to do so without facing discrimination.”
Strickland’s legislation acknowledges the current attacks on DEI initiatives, 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 Rep. Veronica Escobar (TX-06), Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07), Rep. Steven Horsford (NV-04), Rep. Jill Tokuda (HI-02), Rep. Jennifer McClellan (VA-04), Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC). Rep. Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11), Rep. Ted Lieu (CA-36), and Rep. Marc Veasey (TX-33).
You can read the full bill text here
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