Shaheen Joins Senate, House Colleagues to Demand Accountability from Army for Sexual Misconduct Failures
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, joined a bicameral letter led by U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and U.S. Representatives Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06), Jill Tokuda (HI-02), Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Lori Trahan (MA-03), Veronica Escobar (TX-16) and Sylvia Garcia (TX-29) to the U.S. Department of Defense Inspector General demanding accountability for the Army’s failure to stop widespread sexual misconduct. The letter comes after over 80 women joined a lawsuit alleging sexual misconduct from a doctor at Ford Hood and Tripler Army Medical Center.
The members wrote, in part: “According to reports, for years, Dr. McGraw allegedly sexually exploited women, including servicewomen and military wives, in his care. When these women attempted to report their concerns and experiences were purportedly repeatedly ignored and Dr. McGraw was kept on staff. The Army, like the other Services, has a history of failing to adequately address sexual misconduct in the ranks, which required Congress to step in and institute hundreds of reforms over the last fifteen years, culminating in the establishment of the Office of the Special Trial Counsel in the FY22 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). One of those issues involved military services being slow to intervene in cases at an early stage. This appears to have happened in this case since Dr. McGraw was not suspended until this October. This delayed response is unacceptable, and we need answers.”
They continued: “In the lawsuit, female servicemembers and patients noted that a recurring issue was the lack of adequate response from Army leadership. Reportedly, when victims and their loved ones tried to make complaints with Army leadership, they were ‘refused meetings at every level.’ If true, these women deserve better. The alleged dismissive response from the Army demonstrates an immense failure at every level to properly support survivors.”
They concluded: “The allegations against Dr. McGraw are extremely serious, and the Army’s criminal investigation of this matter must continue unabated. That said, the separate concerns raised by survivors about members of the Army at many levels not timely acting on their complaints must be confronted immediately. Additionally, we request that DoD IG investigate to determine whether personnel within the Army properly followed procedures to timely report allegations of sexual misconduct to law enforcement and whether other SAPR procedures and existing protections were followed or not.”
The full letter can be read HERE.
Shaheen has championed efforts in the Senate to respond to and address sexual assault in the military. In the FY26 NDAA, she secured requirements to improve sexual assault prevention and response (SAPR) training in the National Guard. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, she played a role in the adoption of historic reforms to the Uniform Code of Military Justice to address sexual assault in the military, including taking those offenses out of a service member’s chain of command.
###