Tennessee U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07) introduced a bill on Thursday seeking to codify into law President Donald Trump’s executive order eliminating critical race theory (CRT) and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) from the curriculum of federal service academies.
The two-page bill, called the Focusing Academies on Leadership and Cultivating Officers for National Security (FALCONS) Act, would prohibit federal funds from “being obligated or expended to establish a curriculum or to provide training or education based on CRT and DEI” at the U.S. Military Academy, Naval Academy, Air Force Academy, Coast Guard Academy, and Merchant Marine Academy.
Teaching that America is fundamentally racist is antithetical to the purpose of a service academy meant to teach officers who defend the United States. So is teaching that the Declaration of Independence is a lie. Read more on my FALCONS Act here:https://t.co/T7YUhVI22J pic.twitter.com/NkSlHJ60u0
— Rep. Mark Green (@RepMarkGreen) June 5, 2025
Green, as a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, said he has been “grieved” by the curriculum of service academies under Democratic policies and is relieved that DEI and CRT-injected curriculum has since been scrubbed from the academies under the Trump administration.
“Allowing leftist indoctrination in service academies hinders unit cohesion and undermines American institutions. The focus must remain on lethality, not divisive ideology,” Green said in a statement.
“[W]e cannot allow President Trump’s executive order to be reversed by a future administration…Codifying a ban on the teaching of Marxist theories like CRT and gender ideology in our nation’s service academies will ensure the primary focus remains not just how to fight, but what to fight for—liberty, the Constitution, representative government, and our national defense. Service academies create leaders for life,” Green added.
Green cited multiple instances where, under previous Democratic administrations, service academy curriculums had been modified to include CRT and DEI teachings, including when the book “How to Be an Antiracist” was added to a service academy reading list.
In the first few months of the Trump administration, however, Green noted how academies have already begun making changes to curriculum to align with the administration’s merit-based system.
“I’m pleased President Trump’s executive order has already been put into action, and that my alma mater removed a course titled, ‘Race, Ethnicity and Nation,’ and another titled, ‘Power and Difference.’ Further, the Naval Academy also cancelled two courses on gender ideology. According to Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, superintendent of the Air Force Academy in Colorado, 55 courses were under further review and 40% may require changes,” Green said.
“We must teach our future warriors to love the country they plan to fight for. An honest, but patriotic, education is absolutely crucial for the national security of our country,” he added.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
