Marion Bae, FISM News
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2022 has led to controversy in Congress as lawmakers have made a push to add mandatory female enrollment to the military draft.
According to The Centers for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, a bi-partisan non-profit group, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) must be passed every year through a joint effort of the House and the Senate. Initially each chamber passes their own version of the act before both bills go into joint conference to negotiate and resolve differences.
The House’s version of the NDAA for 2022 was passed with bi-partisan support on Sept. 23 and included changes that would make it mandatory for women to enroll in the Selective Service System, colloquially known as the military draft. The changes included switching language like “male citizen” to “citizen” and “wives and children” to “spouses and children.” Democratic Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), an Air Force Veteran, proudly spearheaded this effort in the House.
In late July, Senate Armed Services Committee (ASC) chairman, Jack Reed (D-R.I.), introduced an amendment to the Senate’s NDAA to include the same language.
Republicans from the Senate were quick to push back after the House’s NDAA passed. On Aug. 6 Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) released a resolution with other Republican senators, including Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who said that “the Senate should not pass legislation mandating the registration of women for [the] Selective Service System.”
Senator Hawley proposed an amendment on Monday that would “remove the provision requiring women to register for the Selective Service System,” that was proposed by Reed.
A statement that was posted on Hawley’s official website announced his amendment. Hawley said in part:
It is wrong to force our daughters, mothers, wives, and sisters to fight our wars. Our country is extremely grateful for the brave women who have volunteered to serve our country with and alongside our fighting forces. They have played a vital role in defending America at every point in our nation’s history. But volunteering for military service is not the same as being forced into it, and no woman should be compelled to do so.
Hawley told Fox News that he thought the concept of requiring women to be drafted was “wrong and out of touch with most Americans.”
Hawley’s statement seems to prove true when looking at a poll from August. According to Ipsos, support for females being drafted has decreased from 63% in 2016 to 45% in 2021.The poll also found that woman were more apt to be against the notion, with only 36% of women supporting a female draft, compared to 55% of men.