Headline Roundup • June 20th, 2024
Congress Debates Requiring Women to Register for the Draft
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Recent proposed changes in the language of the annual defense authorization bill would open the door to requiring women to register for the draft.
Details: Senate Democrats proposed the changes. It would not reactivate the draft but would require women to register in the same way most men between the ages of 18 and 25 are currently required to do. In 2020, military experts concluded that including women in the draft would be “in the national security interest of the United States.”
Key Quotes: Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) said the proposed change “seems logical.” Advancing American Freedom Executive Director Paul Teller sent a letter to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) stating, “The notion of the United States of America requiring women to register to fight our wars is simply untenable and must be opposed at all costs.”
How the Media Covered It: The proposed changes sparked a wave of confusion regarding the draft, followed by a series of Fact Check articles addressing misconceptions. Most focused on the draft, stating that the proposed changes would not reinstate the draft, which has not been activated in over 50 years. Coverage from the New York Times (Lean Left bias) deemed the likelihood of the changes becoming law “slim,” adding that the debate over changes “reflects how lawmakers are rethinking the draft at a time when readiness issues have risen to the fore and as the Pentagon is facing recruitment challenges amid a raft of risks and conflicts around the world.”
Featured Coverage of this Story
Lynsey Addario for The New York Times
The United States military has not activated a draft in more than 50 years, but Congress is weighing proposals to update mandatory conscription, including by expanding it to women for the first time and automatically registering those eligible to be called up.
The proposals making their way through the House and Senate stand a slim chance of becoming law, and none would reinstate the draft compelling service right away. But the debate over potential changes reflects how lawmakers are rethinking the draft at a time when readiness issues have risen...
Senate Democrats have added language to the annual defense authorization bill to require women to register for the draft, prompting a backlash from Republicans and social conservatives and complicating the chances of moving the bill on the Senate floor before Election Day.
Conservatives led by Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) are certain to attempt to remove the provision requiring women to register for the draft, which could present a tough vote for Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and other Democrats in tight reelection races.
Republican candidate Sam Brown,...
Getty Images
Former Vice President Mike Pence's organization is urging Republican congressional leaders to prevent a provision from moving forward in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would require women to sign up for a potential military draft.
"The notion of the United States of America requiring women to register to fight our wars is simply untenable and must be opposed at all costs," Advancing American Freedom (AAF) Executive Director Paul Teller wrote in a letter to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Wednesday.
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