The Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) has proposed to include a provision in the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that mandates draft registration for women.
Under the latest National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), not only will men aged 18 to 26 be automatically registered for selective service, but an amendment also proposes mandatory draft registration for women.
Please note that the version of the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed by the House of Representatives is distinct from the version advanced by the Senate Armed Services Committee.
In May, the FY25 NDAA received strong bipartisan support as it was approved by the House Armed Services Committee (HASC). The vote was overwhelmingly in favor, passing 57 to 1.
On Friday, the House of Representatives approved its version of the bill to automatically register men aged 18 to 26 for selective service.
This automatic draft registration system would replace the existing system from 1980, which allows young men the freedom to decide whether or not to sign up for the draft.
The new legislation was introduced by Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), a former Air Force officer, and was endorsed by HASC Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.).
The House version of the NDAA states:
Automatic Registration: The Military Selective Service Act (50 U.S.C. 3801 et seq.) is amended by striking section 3 (50 U.S.C. 3802) and inserting the following new section 3:
“SEC. 3. (a)(1) Except as otherwise provided in this title, every male citizen of the United States, and every other male person residing in the United States, between the ages of eighteen and twenty-six, shall be automatically registered under this Act by the Director of the Selective Service System.
“(2) This section shall not apply to any alien lawfully admitted to the United States as a nonimmigrant under section 101(a)(15) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101) for so long as he continues to maintain a lawful nonimmigrant status in the United States.
The bill was approved in the House with a vote of 217 to 199. Among those votes, 211 Republicans supported the measure, while Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA), Thomas Massie (KY), and Matt Rosendale (MT) voted no. On the other hand, 196 Democrats voted against the bill, with six breaking ranks to vote in favor. The legislation now advances to the Senate for further deliberation.
On the Senate side, the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) advanced the NDAA with a 22-3 vote. U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) issued statements highlighting the bipartisan nature of the bill, despite Reed’s own vote against it due to concerns over budget caps and potential harm to military funding.
According to the proposal, “Amends the Military Selective Service Act to require the registration of women for Selective Service.”
Read the following press release:
U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Roger Wicker (R-MS), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced that the Committee voted 22-3 to advance the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025. The bill now heads to the Senate floor for consideration.
Senator Reed commented: “I am glad that this year’s NDAA makes important progress in a number of areas, including a well-deserved pay raise for military servicemembers, powerful new security initiatives in the Indo-Pacific, and significant support for technologies like counter-drone defenses and AI. However, I regret that I needed to vote against passage of this bill because it includes a funding increase that cannot be appropriated without breaking lawful spending caps and causing unintended harm to our military. I appreciate the need for greater defense spending to ensure our national security, but I cannot support this approach.
“Passing the NDAA takes bipartisanship – that means you don’t win everything – and I’m grateful that my colleagues share a common agreement that getting this bill to the Senate floor and ultimately the President’s desk is our paramount responsibility. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate and House to find practical ways to strengthen this year’s defense bill.”
Senator Wicker also commented: “This bill shows there is bipartisan support for doing more to maintain deterrence and protect American interests. I am encouraged that many of my colleagues have joined me in the conversation about the need to invest more in our national defense. I look forward to discussing the peace through strength vision I have laid out in the months to come. This year’s NDAA results are a testament to the tradition of bipartisanship, vigorous debate, and good working order on which this committee prides itself.”
Committee approval is the first step in a months-long process to establish defense funding levels and set policies for the Defense Department and the Energy Department’s national security programs. The bill must now be debated and voted on by the full U.S. Senate. A separate measure will make its way through the U.S. House of Representatives.
Once both the Senate and House pass their versions of the bill, they must then be reconciled in a bicameral conference committee, and then approved by each chamber before a final version may be sent to the President to be signed into law.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) vehemently criticized the new proposal, stating, “You can go straight to hell. Over my dead body. [House GOP]”
In a subsequent post, Rep. Roy declared, “This is for my daughter. Non-negotiable. And if Republicans want to engage in this – screw them too.”
Rep. Mike Davis (R-UT) also expressed his opposition, saying, “We will not draft women. I stand with [Chip Roy] — this will happen over my dead body.”
Below is the FY25 NDAA Executive Summary approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee:
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