Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says he was “very seriously considering ending” support for Scouting America—formerly the Boy Scouts of America—unless it made a number of changes meant to conform to President Donald Trump’s anti-DEI executive order.
Hegseth posted a video to X on Friday morning, announcing that “The Department of War has officially put Scouting America on notice.”
“It’s time to get back to basics—and DoW is leading the charge,” the tweet read.
The Department of War has officially put Scouting America on notice.
It’s time to get back to basics — and DoW is leading the charge. pic.twitter.com/EnY9mvaFLX
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) February 27, 2026
In the attached six-minute video, Hegseth decries changes by Scouting America over the last 14 years.
READ MORE: Conservatives Go Crazy Over Boy Scouts Name Change Now That Girls Will Be Included
“After 2012 however, the Boy Scouts lost their way, and a once great organization became gravely wounded. Diversity, equity and inclusion—DEI—crept in. The name was changed to Scouting America. Girls were accepted. The focus on God as the ruler of the universe was watered down to include openness to humanism and Earth-centered pagan religions,” Hegseth said.
“Scouting became an organization that no longer supported and celebrated boys. They even welcomed the destructive myth of gender fluidity and transgenderism to infiltrate their membership,” he continued.
He then said that though he “was very seriously considering ending our support of Scouting altogether,” he convinced the leadership to change its policies to bring the organization in line with Trump’s Executive Order 14173. That executive order, “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” was signed on the first day of Trump’s second term and orders government contractors to stop “promoting ‘diversity’.”
Hegseth said Scouting America agreed to replace its Citizenship in Society merit badge with a Military Service merit badge. In order to get the Citizenship badge, Scouts research someone who “demonstrated positive leadership while making an ethical decision.” Hegseth characterized the badge differently, however:
“The quote, Citizen in Society merit badge, that encouraged scouts to explore diversity, equity, inclusion and identity—they always mask it under a name that sounds good, it seems something else—and then asks those scouts to engage in activism on those topics.”
However, looking at the workbook for the badge, activism is not involved. Instead, scouts must answer a number of essay questions, many of which involve hypothetical situations, and require scouts to interview an “individual in your community, school, and/or Scouting who has had a significant positive impact in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion,” or “research a historical figure who meets these criteria, and discuss that person with your counselor.”
Scouting America is not an official government program. Though it became a federally chartered corporation in 1916, like Little League Baseball and the Red Cross, this is primarily an honorary designation. Scouting America functions independently and Congress has no additional control over the organization.
In November, Hegseth threatened to cut ties with Scouting America, according to The Hill. Hegseth’s proposal was unpopular, even among Republicans, according to NPR, leading him to backtrack.
Image via Reuters
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