Ranking Member Subramanyam Demands Answers on Pentagon Plan Severing Ties with Scouting America
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Representative Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10), Ranking Member of the Military and Foreign Affairs Oversight Subcommittee, led a bipartisan group of members in demanding answers from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on a proposal to sever ties with Scouting America.
The members said, “We write with significant concern over reports that the military could move to cut ties with Scouting America, withdraw support from the National Jamboree, and prohibit Scout troops to meet at military bases. We urge you to maintain the robust relationship between Scouting and the military and immediately cease consideration of any plan that would sever the strong bond between these organizations.”
Before Thanksgiving, a report leaked that the Pentagon was considering severing ties with Scouting America. For over a century, Boy Scouts and Scouting America have maintained a productive partnership with the Department of Defense and the military. Military families rely heavily on Scout units on bases for stability during frequent relocations. Additionally, the long-standing automatic rank increase for Eagle Scouts, from E-1 to E-3, would likely be eliminated if the partnership ends, further weakening the leadership pipeline. One in five cadets at West Point are Eagle Scouts.
The members urged the Department of Defense to reverse course and maintain the century-long relationship between the Department and Scouting America.
The letter was signed by Congress members: Greg Landsman (D-OH), Steven Horsford (D-NV), John Larson (D-CT), James Walkinshaw (D-VA), Ed Case (D-HI), Don Bacon (R-NE), Joe Courtney (D-CT), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Eric Sorensen (D-IL), Scott Peters (D-CA), Andrea Salinas (D-OR), Emily Randall (D-WA), John Mannion (D-NY), Maggie Goodlander (D-NH), and Kelly Morrison (D-MN).
The full letter can be found HERE and below.
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Secretary Hegseth,
We write with significant concern over reports that the military could move to cut ties with Scouting America, withdraw support from the National Jamboree, and prohibit Scout troops to meet at military bases. We urge you to maintain the robust relationship between Scouting and the military and immediately cease consideration of any plan that would sever the strong bond between these organizations.
For over a century, Boy Scouts and Scouting America have maintained a productive partnership with the Department of Defense and the military. Scouting has long instilled the values of leadership, citizenship, and service in countless young Americans, developing generation upon generation of young leaders and strengthening the early recruitment pipeline into the military with young men who understand what it means to serve their community and their country. As just one illustration of this fact, approximately one in five West Point cadets are Eagle Scouts.
Such a drastic policy change will also have real impacts on real people. Military families rely heavily on Scout units on bases for stability during frequent relocations. Loss of base access for Scouting troops could cut off youth development programs for these families. Additionally, the long-standing automatic rank increase for Eagle Scouts, from E-1 to E-3, would likely be eliminated if the partnership ends, further weakening the leadership pipeline.
This proposal has been met with significant concerns among military families, youth program advocates, and military officials, concerns that we share. Scouting is a nonpartisan organization with a long history of collaboration with presidential administrations on both sides of the aisle, and it would be extremely detrimental to our national security and thousands of young Americans to cut off this partnership.
We once again strongly urge you to reverse course on this decision. Thank you for your consideration and we look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Members of Congress