Sen. Rand Paul said Monday that he will name his amendment to get rid of the draft entirely after the late boxer Muhammad Ali.
Paul, R-Ky., said the boxer, who died last week, “would stand on principle even when it was unpopular.”
This is something Paul hopes to do with his amendment to this year’s National Defense Authorization Act, which would get rid of the draft entirely.
“I’m opposed to Selective Service and I’m actually introducing this week an amendment to get rid of Selective Service … and we’re going to call the Muhammad Ali Voluntary Military [Act],” Paul told Kentucky TV channel CN2.
Paul said the Selective Service, just like the criminal justice system, had a racial disparity since many “rich white kids” could either go to college or otherwise get out of the draft, while poor minorities overwhelmingly were the ones who served.
Much of the debate on this year’s defense policy bill has focused on the need for a draft after the administration decided this year to lift the ban on women serving in combat. While some lawmakers raised the issue of whether women should have to sign up alongside men, others questioned whether the country even still needs the Selective Service at all after relying on an all-volunteer force for decades.
Paul said the country does not need Selective Service registration, pointing to the droves of Americans who signed up to serve after the country was attacked at Pearl Harbor and on 9/11.
“I agree with Muhammad Ali: If a war is worth fighting for it, people will volunteer,” Paul said.
The Senate is debating the fiscal 2017 National Defense Authorization Act this week.
