Hegseth cancels Pentagon program. It was signed into law by Trump.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday he will wind down a program at the Pentagon that boosts the participation of women in peace building and conflict prevention efforts that President Donald Trump signed into law in his first term.
In a post on X, Hegseth called the Women Peace and Security program at the Defense Department 'yet another woke divisive/social justice/Biden initiative that overburdens our commanders and troops — distracting from our core task: WAR-FIGHTING.' He went on to call it a 'UNITED NATIONS program pushed by feminists and left-wing activists.'
Hegseth said the Pentagon would comply with the minimum requirements of the program under federal statute and then lobby to kill the program during the appropriations process.
His attack on the program is especially notable since Trump signed the program into law and multiple members of Trump's current cabinet backed the effort as members of Congress.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, then a member of Congress from South Dakota, wrote the House version of the 2017 Women, Peace and Security Act alongside Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.). Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a former Florida senator, co-sponsored that chamber's version of the law. That bill codified the 'women, peace and security' agenda and its priorities across the State Department, Pentagon and other government agencies into U.S. law.
As recently as this month, Rubio hailed Trump's decision to sign the Women, Peace and Security Act, describing it as 'the first law passed by any country in the world focused on protecting women and promoting their participation in society.'
National security adviser Mike Waltz was not in Congress when the 2017 law was signed, but he supported subsequent legislation to bolster the 'women, peace and security' agenda and served as the co-chair of the bipartisan Women, Peace and Security Caucus.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment about whether the administration supports Hegseth's actions.
Democrats were quick to condemn Hegseth's move. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), who co-wrote the Senate version of the 2017 legislation with Rubio, said in a statement Tuesday that Hegseth's actions are part of 'a dangerous and disturbing pattern from the Secretary, who clearly does not listen to advice from senior military leaders. He also continues to ignore the invaluable role women play in our national security. It's startling that just because the word 'women' is in the title, this evidence-based security program has been reduced to a DEI program.'
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) pointed to expressions of support from Trump's pick to be chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Lt. Gen. Dan Caine, who hailed the program during his confirmation hearing earlier this year.
'The fact that he claims that it's a Biden issue when it is an initiative that was supported unanimously by a Republican majority of the Senate and 'troops hate it' when the newly confirmed head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff testifies to its value, I find shocking,' Kaine said.
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