Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Mark Green, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement upon joining the lawsuit over the suspension of the service academy Boards of Visitors. Representative Green is both an alumnus of and a member of the United States Military Academy Board of Visitors.
“Secretary of Defense Llyod Austin has no authority to suspend the Board of Visitors, and he is violating federal law by doing so. Make no mistake, Secretary Austin is tying the Board of Visitors’ hands. Created by Congress and the Constitution specifically to provide oversight, this action is unacceptable.”
“The Department of Defense has not identified any authority it claims to have over suspending the Board of Visitors. I call for an immediate end to this suspension.”
The suspension of the Boards of Visitors comes at a time when West Point, the Naval Academy, and the Air Force Academy are all facing multiple challenges, including the teaching of Critical Race Theory and COVID-19 Coronavirus protocols
