As the U.S. Senate prepares to vote on this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), U.S. Senator Josh Hawley is calling on the Senate to take up a vote on his amendment to remove the provision currently in the bill that forces women to register for the U.S. Selective Service System. Five more colleagues – U.S. Senators Daines, Lankford, Boozman, Lee, and Rubio – have signed on to the Senator’s amendment over the last several days, in addition to five others last week.
“Women have always made our armed services even stronger – but their decision to serve should be left up to them, not the government,” said Sen. Hawley. “I am proud that my sister bravely served in the U.S. Navy. Just like all the women before her, that was her choice. But our sisters, daughters, and wives shouldn’t be forced to do so.”
The full list of Senators cosponsoring Sen. Hawley’s amendment include Sens. Ted Cruz (Tex.), Tom Cotton (Ark.), Roger Marshall (Kan.), Roger Wicker (Miss.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (Miss.), Steve Daines (Mont.), James Lankford (Okla.), John Boozman (Ark.), Mike Lee (Utah), and Marco Rubio (Fla.). Text of the amendment can be found here.
In July, Sen. Hawley voted against the Senate Democrats’ proposal requiring women to register for the draft when the issue came before the Senate Armed Services Committee over the summer.