Using women as a chess piece in an “equality” row is ridiculous’: Republicans criticize plan to enter women over 18 into the military draft in bill that could pass by next week

  • The provision is included in this year’s National Defense Authorization Act
  • The NDAA passed the House with a decisive 316-113 vote back in September 
  • It was also approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee this summer
  • Bill text would replace ‘male’ with the gender-neutral term ‘person’
  • A phrase in the Selective Service terms banning discrimination based on ‘race or color’ will be updated with the more progressive ‘race, color, sex, or gender’
  • Chuck Schumer told fellow senators in a letter the NDAA may come up this week

For the first time in the United States’ 245-year history, American women could be required to sign up for the Selective Service with legislation expanding the draft expected to get the green light from Congress, a report out Wednesday stated.

A measure changing the requirements for the Selective Service from male-only to ‘all Americans’ could pass the Senate as early as this week, according to Axios.

The question of who should be compelled to serve has been debated in the US for years. Now it looks likely to pass with a bipartisan coalition of support, despite fury from some Republicans saying it is part of a row over political equality.

Earlier this month, Missouri Senator Josh Hawley introduced an amendment to strip the gender-neutral Selective Service language out of the NDAA. It’s not clear if the bill gained much traction.

Republican Rep. Vicky Hartzler spoke out against the measure on Wednesday morning.

‘Using women as a chess piece in a political “equality” argument is not only misguided but is insulting to our female population,’ she wrote on Twitter. ‘Claiming their inclusion in the draft would prove “equality” is ridiculous.’

Conservative groups have also stood against the reform.

‘There is nothing hindering women’s ability to volunteer and serve in the military, so there is no need for this dangerous and unnecessary draft mandate contained in the NDAA,’ public policy organization the Family Research Council tweeted Tuesday.