john: republicans demanding answers from top military officials on diversity and equity goals at yesterday s hearing on recruitment challenges. listen here. this sort of obsession with this equity agenda that you all are defending here today with just sort of a word salad is divisive. we re having to spend time to talk about dod s $114 million budget request for diversity, equity, inclusion training? this stuff is nuts. is there any intelligence you ve heard that communist china is somehow intimidated or deterred by our dei initiatives? john: lawmakers suggesting woke policies are to blame for record low recruitment numbers across nearly all branches of the military. during the last fiscal year the army was short by 15,000 new hires while the navy and air force struggled to meet targets for active duty employees.
support, reaching the right place, and they need it urgently. d0 support, reaching the right place, and they need it urgently.- and they need it urgently. do you fear there and they need it urgently. do you feer there is and they need it urgently. do you fear there is a and they need it urgently. do you fear there is a generation - and they need it urgently. do you fear there is a generation of - fear there is a generation of children with the needs who will get lost in the system? i children with the needs who will get lost in the system? lost in the system? i think every school in the lost in the system? i think every school in the country lost in the system? i think every school in the country is - lost in the system? i think every school in the country is working | school in the country is working hard to ensure that they are doing what they can to meet need. the funding situation is dire. the recruitment challenges are playing a part, particularly around support staff and
clearly a strong sense of community from the people hannah spoke with, but the really worrying time, particularly for those with caring responsibilities, the extra layer of stress. let s speak to raj from birmingham s chamber of commerce it recommends represents 2500 businesses. what are they saying with psion we havejust businesses. what are they saying with psion we have just finished serving businesses and a record number said they are under pressure to rise their prices. to rise their prices. increase of our to rise their prices. increase of your custom to rise their prices. increase of your custom increase - to rise their prices. increase of your custom increase in - to rise their prices. increase of| your custom increase in energy bills, your custom increase in energy bills, higher input costs, for example bills, higher input costs, for example importing raw materials, and broader example importing raw materials, and broader recruitment challenges, whether broader recrui