Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday abruptly canceled the Pentagon’s Women, Peace & Security (WPS) program, an initiative signed into law by President Donald Trump during his first term and touted by his first administration as a sign of its commitment to women’s empowerment.
The program was born out of the law known as the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017, legislation sponsored by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and co-sponsored by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., that sought to promote the participation of women in mediation and negotiation processes to resolve violent conflict.
In a statement, Shaheen noted that members of Trump’s cabinet were integral to the bill’s success. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, then the Republican at-large representative from South Dakota, was the sponsor of the bill in the House and Secretary of State Marco Rubio was an original co-sponsor in the Senate. And though not involved in writing the legislation, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz formerly chaired the House WPS caucus.
As recently as this month, Rubio said he was proud to have co-sponsored the bill, and that it was the “first comprehensive law passed in any country in the world — the first law passed by any country anywhere in the world — focused on protecting women and promoting their participation in society.”
Shaheen, a member of the Armed Services Committee, called Hegseth’s decision shortsighted and unlawful.
“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,” Shaheen said in a statement.
Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Jack Reed, D-R.I., said that canceling that program was another “major faux pas” by Hegseth, who “doesn’t know where the program came from and obviously didn’t investigate anything.”
In an initial Tuesday morning post on X, Hegseth said the WPS program was “yet another woke divisive/social justice/Biden initiative” that was pushed by “feminists and left-wing activists. Politicians fawn over it; troops HATE it.”
Hegseth said the Pentagon would execute the minimum of WPS required by statute, and fight to kill the program via the annual appropriations process.
Two hours later, Hegseth followed up with another post that blamed former President Joe Biden for “weaponizing” the program. “Biden ruined EVERYTHING,” Hegseth said.
In a statement, Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Fla., co-chair of the Women, Peace and Security caucus, decried Hegseth’s description of the WPS program as “a UN feminist ploy” as “not just ignorant — it’s dangerous.”
“When women are at the table — whether in preventing conflict, negotiating peace, or leading recovery — peace agreements are more durable, communities are more resilient, and missions are more successful,” she said.
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