Women veterans in Congress and nearly 100 Democratic lawmakers denounce Secretary of State’s comments on women in the military.
By Mariel Padilla for The 19th
Two female veterans of Congress led nearly 100 House Democrats in sending a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday, calling on his recent comments on women in the military is deeply damaging and demands more transparency. The leaders of the effort, Reps. Chrissy Houlahan and Maggie Goodlander, called for the reestablishment of an independent advisory committee dedicated to women in the service.
“We are writing to express our deep concern over your recent remarks and actions targeting women in the military,” Democrats said in the letter provided to the 19th.
The letter comes as Congress sets the military budget and follows Hegseth’s highly unusual decision to summon hundreds of generals and admirals stationed around the world to meet in Virginia on September 30. In a 45-minute speech at that meeting, Hegseth talked extensively about ridding the military of “woke trash.” He discussed women in combat roles and the need for gender-neutral standards, denounced diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and criticized so-called gender diversity quotas, which do not exist.
“Women have sacrificed their safety and, at times, their lives, for our country and we are deeply alarmed by this administration’s attempts to attack their merits,” the letter said. “We also oppose the dismantling of any resources that support their well-being and equal treatment. Any suggestion that women are unqualified, whether physically or spiritually, is a deep insult to the military women who have contributed so much to our country.”
Women make up more than 21 percent of the active duty force and have held combat positions in the military. for decades.
In the letter, the members of Congress also criticize Hegseth’s recent memos weakening the definitions of hazing and bullying, which will likely make it more difficult to file complaints of discrimination and harassment within the armed forces. The changes could hamper the military justice reforms carried out in recent years which aimed to help victims of sexual harassment and assault. Nearly one in four women in the military report having been sexually assaulted And more than half report harassment, although researchers have found that the vast majority of incidents go unreported.
“Rates of discrimination, hazing, and bullying are widespread in the military among both men and women, but women face significantly higher rates of these unwanted behaviors,” the letter states. “These issues are known to affect readiness and can have serious consequences on the health and careers of service members, disproportionately affecting women who serve. »
Houlahan, an Air Force veteran and ranking member of the Armed Services Committee’s military personnel subcommittee, said Hegseth’s impact on the military has been “extremely frightening.” Houlahan said someone close to her was interested in joining the military, but her parents were “really worried” about the environment she would be entering.
“This is just my own family, so I can only imagine that this affects a lot of people when they make their decision, not only to join or not, but also to stay,” Houlahan said.
Goodlander, who served as an intelligence officer in the Naval Reserve, said she recently celebrated the Navy’s 250th anniversary with a room full of Navy cadets and their parents. Young women looking at our military today and their parents worry about entering a department that has “a person at the helm who has no business being in this extraordinary position of public trust,” said Goodlander, who is also a member of the Democratic Women’s Caucus.
“The speech is a great continuation of what we saw from Pete Hegseth before his tenure as secretary began,” Goodlander said, noting that he also had ousted the only women to hold four-star ranks as part of his first actions in the role.
The criticized letter Hegseth’s dissolution of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Service (DACOWITS), one of the oldest independent advisory committees to the Department of Defense. During its 75-year history, DACOWITS has been instrumental in lifting the ban on women in combat. It is also provided recommendations – based on research, data and direct engagement with the military – to the Department of Defense, including on appropriate combat equipment for women and parental leave policies. The Defense Department has fully or partially adopted about 94 percent of the committee’s recommendations, according to the letter.
“DACOWITS has played a critically important role in achieving your stated goal of a merit-based system by eliminating barriers to ensure the most qualified individuals have opportunities to serve our country,” the letter said. “Our military must be a place that allows our service members, of all genders, races and creeds, to serve with dignity and leverage all of their talents. »
Houlahan said the Department of Defense has not been transparent and Congress does not know whether residual aspects of DACOWITS will be kept elsewhere. She said Hegseth did not return calls for more information.
Goodlander said Hegseth’s views on women in the military and his strategy for leading the U.S. armed forces “objectively weaken us.”
“It is clear to anyone who watched his confirmation hearing and continued to see his inexperience and poor judgment revealed again and again, that he turned to performative, hateful bravado against fundamental American ideas and against a core American core: the women who have served and the women who will serve,” Goodlander said.
At the end of the letter, House Democrats call for the “immediate reinstatement of DACOWITS.” And if no changes are made by Oct. 31, members of Congress are demanding an in-person briefing no later than Nov. 6 to discuss Hegseth’s reasons for eliminating the committee and a detailed explanation of the new general physical and occupational requirements.
“I’m just baffled by this incompetence,” Houlahan said. “The fact that Secretary Hegseth thinks he is shaping an organization around what he considers to be a meritocracy – when he is literally the least qualified person I have ever known to hold this position. And that he is slandering 51 percent of the population, the women of our nation, by referring to entirely voluntary service – it is mind-boggling. I think it is a lack of understanding that he clearly has of what modern combat is and its lethality is.”
