Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Tuesday he was ending the Defense Department’s Women, Peace and Security program, which he termed a “Biden initiative” and that was enacted by President Donald Trump in his first term, championed by his daughter Ivanka Trump and based on a law co-sponsored by Secretary of State Marco Rubio when he was a member of the Senate.
Experts say the move will have significant consequences for women in the military and the US military’s goals abroad.
“This morning, I proudly ENDED the “Women, Peace & Security” (WPS) program inside the @DeptofDefense. WPS is yet another woke divisive/social justice/Biden initiative that overburdens our commanders and troops — distracting from our core task: WAR-FIGHTING,” Hegseth posted.
“WPS is a UNITED NATIONS program pushed by feminists and left-wing activists. Politicians fawn over it; troops HATE it. DoD will hereby executive the minimum of WPS required by statute, and fight to end the program for our next budget. GOOD RIDDANCE WPS!”
Hegseth later appeared to back-track, saying in a follow-up post that the initiative “straight-forward & security-focused” in 2017, but was “RUINED” by former President Joe Biden.
Rubio seemed to have a very different view on the program recently, touting his involvement at the International Women of Courage Awards earlier this month.
“President Trump also signed the Women, Peace, and Security Act, a bill that I was very proud to have been a co-sponsor of when I was in the Senate, and 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,” Rubio said on April 1.
