8 Republican senators sign letter opposing military draft for women in defense proposal

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 6, 2024 / 14:30 pm

Eight Republican senators this week signed a letter opposing a provision to automatically register young women for the military draft along with men — a proposal that is included in a bill introduced by Democratic Sen. Jack Reed, who chairs the Senate Committee on Armed Services.

Reed included language that would force women to be registered for the selective service in the proposed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2025, which is an annual piece of legislation that funds the Department of Defense (DOD). 

This is the third time over the past four years that Senate Democrats included this provision in their initial NDAA proposal. 

Per the legislation, both men and women between the ages of 18 and 26 would automatically be registered into the Selective Service System. 

Under current law, men must register for the draft within 30 days of their 18th birthday and are eligible to be drafted until they turn 26, but registration is not done automatically. In the United States, women have never been forced to register for the draft.

“For the third time in four years, Democrats are attempting to force women into the draft,” the Republican senators, led by Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, wrote in a Dec. 5 letter directed to Reed and Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, who chairs the House Armed Services committee.

“Let’s be clear: American women have a proud legacy of service in our armed forces, especially so because their service has always been voluntary,” the letter continued. 

“Never in our history have women been forced to register for the draft. Yet the Biden administration and Senate Democrats want to discard this long-standing tradition and force women to fight in wars against their own will,” the senators said.

The draft has not been used for more than 50 years. The last time someone was involuntarily drafted into the military was in 1973, near the end of the Vietnam War. For a president to authorize a draft, he would need the support of Congress.

“America’s daughters, sisters, wives, and mothers can decide to join the military themselves,” the senators wrote in their letter. 

“President Trump ran in part on a platform of avoiding World War III and ending the progressive policies infecting our military,” the letter added. “The American people gave him a resounding electoral mandate. The Senate should prioritize America’s national security instead of turning defense legislation into a tool of liberal social policy.”

The senators wrote that “we strongly urge you to remove the provision in the Senate version of the NDAA compelling women to register for [the draft],” adding that “Americans rejected social progressivism in 2024, and NDAA conferees should take this lesson to heart.” 

Seven Republican senators joined Hawley in signing the letter: Tom Cotton, Ted Cruz, Steve Daines, James Lankford, Mike Lee, Roger Marshall, and Eric Schmitt.