Show-Me State Times

U.S. Senator Josh Hawley, representing Missouri, has taken a stand against potential provisions in the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that could require American women to register for the Selective Service System. Hawley is joined by Senators Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Ted Cruz of Texas, Steve Daines of Montana, James Lankford of Oklahoma, Mike Lee of Utah, Roger Marshall of Kansas, and Eric Schmitt of Missouri in opposing this measure.

The group of senators expressed their concerns in a letter addressed to Senator Jack Reed from Rhode Island, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Representative Mike Rogers from Alabama, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. The letter highlights their stance: “For the third time in four years, Democrats are attempting to force women into the draft. 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. Never in our history have women been forced to register for the draft. Yet the Biden administration and Senate Democrats want to discard this longstanding tradition and force women to fight in wars against their own will.”

They further argue that “President Trump ran in part on a platform of avoiding World War III and ending the progressive policies infecting our military. 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.”

Senator Hawley has consistently opposed efforts that he perceives as attempts by left-leaning groups to compel women to register for the draft.

The letter urges removal of any such provision from the Senate's version of the NDAA: “As the FY25 NDAA process continues, we strongly urge you to remove the provision in the Senate-version of the NDAA compelling women to register for SSS. Americans rejected social progressivism in 2024, and NDAA conferees should take this lesson to heart.”

The full text is available through various channels.