Shaheen Blasts Hegseth For Moving to End Bipartisan “Women, Peace and Security” Program She Ushered into Law During Trump’s First Term
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a top member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement on Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s move to “end” the Shaheen-led “Women, Peace and Security (WPS)” program inside the U.S. Department of Defense. In 2017, President Trump signed WPS into law after Shaheen and U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) ushered the bipartisan legislation through Congress. Its implementation at the Department of Defense is supported by every combatant commander and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“Secretary Hegseth has absolutely no idea what he’s doing. This shortsighted, unlawful move to end the bipartisan Women, Peace and Security law—which President Trump signed into law during his first term—weakens America’s global standing.
“WPS is law; the Secretary cannot unilaterally terminate the program Congress passed because he doesn’t understand how the inclusion and participation of women in mediation and negotiation make a measurable difference in preventing, mitigating and resolving violent conflicts and keeping America safe. Every combatant commander who comes through my office highlights the strategic advantage WPS gives U.S. forward deployed forces.
“This follows 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.
“This is further proof that Secretary Hegseth is hopelessly in over his head in a role he was never qualified to hold. First it was disclosing classified information on unsecured platforms, including to family members. Next, it was losing his entire senior staff in a matter of days. And now, he’s ignoring his entire senior military leadership and the rest of Trump’s national security cabinet.
“President Trump was right that Secretary Hegseth needs to ‘get it together’ but today’s announcement is further evidence of how hopeless that cause is. Shame on the Secretary.”
In 2017, Shaheen led the bipartisan Women, Peace and Security law through Congress to prioritize the promotion of women’s participation in foreign policy and national security efforts, such as conflict prevention, peace negotiations and democratic institutions. Women’s participation in peace negotiations increases the probability by 35 percent of agreements lasting at least 15 years.
After Shaheen’s bill passed the Republican-led Senate by unanimous consent and was approved by the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives, President Trump signed the bipartisan legislation into law in October 2017. Members of President Trump’s cabinet were integral to its passage through Congress – Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem was the sponsor of the bill in the U.S. House of Representatives, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was an original cosponsor in the Senate and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz chaired the House WPS caucus for many years.
In a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing earlier this month on Lieutenant General John D. Caine’s nomination to be Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Caine told Shaheen about the operational advantage for the U.S. military – not DEI.
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