Bill proposing women register for draft not signed into law | Fact check

Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY
·3 min read

The claim: US military is requiring women to register for the draft

A June 16 Facebook post claims a new demographic is now legally required to register for the Selective Service.

"The US Military under Biden has such an incredible shortfall of recruitment, thanks to their idiotic DEI and anti-white policies, that they’re now requiring women to register for selective service – the draft," reads the post's caption.

The post includes an image of a bullet-pointed list titled "Strengthening the Joint Force and Defense Workforce" and circles in red a bullet point that reads, "Amends the Military Selective Service Act to require the registration of women for Selective Service."

A similar version of the claim shared on Instagram garnered more than 100 likes in two days. Other versions of the claim were shared on Facebook and X, formerly Twitter.

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Women not required to register for draft

The Senate Committee on Armed Services voted June 14 to advance the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025, which authorizes funding levels for the U.S. military and other defense-related areas for the upcoming fiscal year. As the Facebook post highlights, one element of the bill calls for women to register for the Selective Service.

The bill still has a long way to go before becoming law, however.

The committee said in a June 14 news release that now that the panel has approved the bill, it will advance to the Senate for consideration. The bill will then need to be approved by both the Senate and the House and be presented to the president for signing.

Fact check: No, Selective Service registration bill doesn't reinstitute draft

This isn't the first time the Senate committee has suggested such a change to Selective Service. The group previously proposed several bills in recent years recommending the inclusion of women in Selective Service registration, but each time the bill failed to progress through Congress.

Though the Selective Service System would provide personnel to the Department of Defense in the case of a draft, the U.S. hasn't held a draft in more than 50 years. The most recent draft was in 1973 during the Vietnam War.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the Facebook post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Our rating: False

Though a Senate committee approved a bill that would require women to register for the Selective Service, the bill is still far from becoming law. It must still be approved by both chambers of Congress and signed by the president.

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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: No, women aren't required to register for draft | Fact check