Press reports indicate that, following a months-long effort led by U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), language expanding registration to the draft for women will be removed from the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
Senator Hawley said, “It appears the NDAA will no longer require women to register for the military draft. I certainly hope that is the case. If it is not, then I will keep fighting for a vote on the Senate floor to strip this wrong and misguided provision out of the final bill.”
In July 2021, Senator Hawley voted against expansion of the draft during committee consideration. In November 2021, Senator Hawley introduced an amendment to the NDAA that would strip language expanding the draft from the bill.
Senator Hawley’s amendment was co-sponsored by 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.).