EXCLUSIVE — A House Republican is pressing the Biden administration to explain how the creation of jobs specializing in diversity, equity, and inclusion is critical to national security as lawmakers await a report from the Government Accountability Office to review the impact of such positions in the Defense Department. 

Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) sent a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin last week demanding information on whether a DEI hiring freeze has negatively affected the department and hindered officials from responding to foreign conflicts. The letter, exclusively shared with the Washington Examiner, directly references a measure in the National Defense Authorization Act passed last year that enacted a hiring freeze for new DEI positions until the GAO completes a review of its impact in the military.