The Senate passed a defense policy bill on Tuesday that included a provision requiring young women to register for the draft when they turn 18 years old.
Since the Defense Department opened all combat jobs to women back in December, Congress has battled over the role of women in the military, particularly whether they are physically able to meet the rigorous standards required to join the infantry and special operations units.
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which also authorizes $602 billion in defense spending for the upcoming fiscal year, passed the Senate 85 to 13, without a floor debate on whether women should have to register for the Selective Service.
Six Republican senators opposed the bill, led by conservative Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Mike Lee (R-Utah). The two proposed an amendment to strip the language on women and the draft from the bill, but the amendment was among hundreds that were never brought to a vote.
“I could not in good conscience vote to draft our daughters into the military, sending them off to war and forcing them into combat,” Cruz said in a statement following the Senate vote on Tuesday.
Heritage Action, the conservative lobbying group, called the provision “a clear example of Washington placing more value on liberal social engineering than military objectives and preparedness.”
Meanwhile, Armed Services Committee Chair John McCain (R-Ariz.) defended it.
“The fact is, every single leader in this country, both men and women, members of the military leadership, believe that it’s fair since we opened up all aspects of the military to women that they would also be registering for Selective Services,” McCain told the New York Times.
The House version of the bill, which passed last month, did not include a provision requiring women to register for the Selective Service, therefore the issue is likely to arise when the two chambers meet to discuss the differences.
