Hegseth says he will scrap “woke” program signed into law by Trump in 2017

Washington — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday he’s ending a program at the Defense Department that promoted the participation of women in peace building and was signed into law by President Trump in 2017. 

In his initial post on X, Hegseth called the Women, Peace and Security program “yet another woke divisive/social justice/Biden initiative that overburdens our commanders and troops.” In a follow-up post, he clarified that the program had been “ruined” by the Biden administration. 

Hegseth said the Defense Department would comply with the minimum requirements under the law, but would “fight to end” the program when Congress sets its next budget. 

Trump administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and national security adviser Mike Waltz, supported the efforts when they were in Congress. It was also championed by Mr. Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, who served in the White House during his first term. 

Earlier this month, Rubio touted the bill, saying in remarks at the State Department that he was proud to support it. He referred to it as “the first law passed by any country anywhere in the world focused on protecting women and promoting their participation in society.” 

The program, according to the strategy released during Mr. Trump’s first term, seeks to increase women’s participation in decision-making processes as well as promote the protection of women and girls’ human rights around the world. 

Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, who introduced the legislation for the program, said the defense secretary is “short sighted and doesn’t really understand what he’s doing” when asked by CBS News about Hegseth’s post on X. 

“We have data that shows what a difference it makes to have women at the table in negotiations,” Shaheen said. “We know that peace agreements that are made with women at the table last 35% longer, longer than 15 years if women are at the table.” On “Face the Nation” Sunday, Shaheen was critical of Hegseth, who she said has “created chaos” at the Pentagon amid a recent staff shakeup. 

“For those people who serve under him, he has shown that he is not the kind of role model, not the kind of leader that we need at this time,” Shaheen said.

One of Hegseth’s goals at the Pentagon has been to rid the Defense Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives. 

Kathleen McInnis of the Center for Strategic and International Studies has written that the Women, Peace, and Security program is not DEI because it establishes no requirements, quotas, or goals for the organizational composition, academic admission or career fields in the DOD.

When asked during his confirmation hearing about the program, Hegseth did not promise to continue it but said he would “commit to reviewing that program and ensuring it aligns with America First national security priorities, meritocracy, lethality, and readiness.” 

contributed to this report.