I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1228 
To prohibit the United States Armed Forces from promoting anti-American 
and racist theories. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 28, 2023 
Mr. BISHOP of North Carolina (for himself, Mr. LATURNER, Mr. GUEST, Mr. 
LAMBORN, Mr. BUCK, Mr. PERRY, Mr. ELLZEY, Mr. JOYCE of Pennsyl-
vania, Mr. MASSIE, Mrs. LESKO, Mr. BOST, Mr. GROTHMAN, Mr. 
STEUBE, Mr. DUNCAN, Mr. DAVIDSON, Mr. BURLISON, Mrs. BOEBERT, 
Mr. CLINE, Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana, Mr. MOOLENAAR, Mr. GOOD of 
Virginia, Mr. ROSENDALE, Mrs. LUNA, Ms. HAGEMAN, Ms. TENNEY, Mr. 
BRECHEEN, Mr. OGLES, Mr. MCCLINTOCK, Mr. ROY, Mr. ARRINGTON, 
Mr. CARL, Mrs. MILLER of Illinois, and Mr. HUDSON) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services 
A BILL 
To prohibit the United States Armed Forces from promoting 
anti-American and racist theories. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Combating Racist 
Training in the Military Act of 2023’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
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(1) The founding principles of the United 
States include the belief, enshrined in the Declara-
tion of Independence, that ‘‘all men are created 
equal’’ and ‘‘are endowed by their Creator with cer-
tain unalienable Rights’’. 
(2) The United States commitment to the equal 
dignity and natural rights of all mankind is the 
strongest possible defense against racism and op-
pression of all kinds. 
(3) The mission of the United States Armed 
Forces is to ‘‘support and defend the Constitution of 
the United States against all enemies, foreign and 
domestic’’ and ‘‘bear true faith and allegiance to the 
same’’. 
(4) To carry out this mission, the Armed 
Forces must train leaders who love the United 
States, its citizens, and the aforementioned founding 
principles. 
(5) Anti-American and racist theories, such as 
‘‘Critical Race Theory’’, teach that the United 
States is a fundamentally racist Nation, that the 
Constitution is a fundamentally racist document, 
and that certain races are fundamentally oppressive 
or oppressed. 
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(6) Such theories encourage people to judge 
and treat others differently on the basis of their 
race, rather than treating them as equal citizens and 
human beings with equal dignity and protection 
under the law. 
(7) Anti-American and racist theories, such as 
Critical Race Theory, teach students to distrust and 
even hate their country and fellow citizens. 
(8) The United States Armed Forces should not 
promote or otherwise encourage anti-American and 
racist theories that demoralize and divide its mem-
bers while undermining its mission to ‘‘bear truth 
faith and allegiance’’ to the Constitution. 
SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON PROMOTION OF ANTI-AMERICAN 
AND RACIST THEORIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The United States Armed Forces 
and academic institutions operated or controlled by the 
Department of Defense shall not promote the following 
anti-American and racist theories: 
(1) Any race is inherently superior or inferior 
to any other race. 
(2) The United States of America is a fun-
damentally racist country. 
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(3) The Declaration of Independence or the 
United States Constitution are fundamentally racist 
documents. 
(4) An individual’s moral character or worth is 
determined by his or her race. 
(5) An individual, by virtue of his or her race, 
is inherently racist or oppressive, whether con-
sciously or unconsciously. 
(6) An individual, because of his or her race, 
bears responsibility for the actions committed by 
other members of his or her race. 
(b) PROMOTE DEFINED.—In this section, the term 
‘‘promote’’ means the following: 
(1) Including theories described under sub-
section (a) or materials that advocate such theories 
in curricula, reading lists, seminars, workshops, 
trainings, or other educational or professional set-
tings in a manner that could reasonably give rise to 
the appearance of official sponsorship, approval, or 
endorsement. 
(2) Contracting with, hiring, or otherwise en-
gaging speakers, consultants, diversity trainers, and 
other persons for the purpose of advocating theories 
described under subsection (a). 
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(3) Compelling members of the Armed Forces 
to affirm or profess belief in theories described 
under subsection (a). 
(4) Segregating members of the Armed Forces 
or other individuals by race in any setting, including 
educational and training sessions. 
(c) RULES OF CONSTRUCTION.— 
(1) PROTECTED SPEECH NOT RESTRICTED.— 
Nothing in this section shall be construed to restrict 
the protected speech of members of the Armed 
Forces or any individual. 
(2) ACCESS TO MATERIALS FOR THE PURPOSE 
OF RESEARCH OR INDEPENDENT STUDY.—Nothing 
in this section shall be construed to prevent individ-
uals from accessing materials that advocate theories 
described under subsection (a) for the purpose of re-
search or independent study. 
(3) CONTEXTUAL EDUCATION.—Nothing in this 
section shall be construed to prevent the United 
States Armed Forces and academic institutions op-
erated or controlled by the Department of Defense 
from stating theories described under subsection (a) 
or assigning materials that advocate such theories 
for educational purposes in contexts that make clear 
the United States Armed Forces and Department of 
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Defense does not sponsor, approve, or endorse such 
theories or works. 
Æ 
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