The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee version of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2025 would automatically register women for the draft.
The committee approved the bill with a vote of 22-3.
The "Strengthening the Joint Force and Defense Workforce" section of the NDAA says the Military Selective Service Act would be amended "to require the registration of women for Selective Service."
Since 1917, when the Selective Service was created, all men ages 18 through 25 have been required to register. However, there has not been a draft since the Vietnam War.
Must Read Alaska reports:In 2017, Congress created a commission to study the matter of adding women to the draft. The commission’s final report, required by the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act, recommended that women be drafted.
“This is a necessary and fair step, making it possible to draw on the talent of a unified Nation in a time of national emergency,” the 11 commissioners wrote in their final report.
The effort has failed in previous years’ versions of the NDAA, but this year, it looks like it may pass.
Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, a Democrat, has been one of the biggest advocates of adding women to the Selective Service.
Republicans, including Rep. Chip Roy of Texas and Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, have been pushing back forcefully.
Rep. Roy responded to the news in a post on X, writing, "You can go straight to hell. Over my dead body." You can go straight to hell. Over my dead body. @HouseGOP https://t.co/dYBpPdAZEY
— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) June 15, 2024
Sen. Lee agreed, posting, "I’m with @ChipRoyTX —this will happen over my dead body." We
Will
Not
Draft
Women
I’m with @ChipRoyTX—this will happen over my dead body. https://t.co/iLRhkqwFiL
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) June 15, 2024
Donald Trump Jr. also loudly objected to the move. Democrats want to draft your daughters to fight the wars that no one in America outside of the military industrial complex wants to be in. But hey, at least they’ll get a board seat at Raytheon or Lockheed Martin, while our kids die as cannon fodder for no apparent reason. https://t.co/DXGiQP5rH9
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) June 15, 2024
"Democrats want to draft your daughters to fight the wars that no one in America outside of the military industrial complex wants to be in," he wrote. "But hey, at least they’ll get a board seat at Raytheon or Lockheed Martin, while our kids die as cannon fodder for no apparent reason."
