Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced “GOOD RIDDANCE” to the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) program—despite the fact that the initiative was originally passed and promoted by President Donald Trump.
“This morning, I proudly ENDED the ‘Women, Peace & Security’ program,” Hegseth declared on Tuesday. “WPS is yet another woke divisive/social justice/Biden initiative that overburdens our commanders and troops—distracting from our core task: WAR-FIGHTING.”
He added that the Department of Defense would now only meet the minimum legal obligations for the program and would aim to eliminate it entirely in the next defense budget.
The WPS Act, however, was signed into law in 2017 during Trump’s first term and was supported by his administration. In 2019, Donald Trump’s White House released a detailed strategy for implementing WPS, emphasizing the importance of promoting the role of women in conflict resolution and peace-building.
Hegseth’s framing of the program as a “Biden initiative” prompted the addition of a community note challenging Hegseth’s claim and linking directly to the Trump-era documents.
Despite the program’s bipartisan origins, Hegseth characterized WPS as a product of “feminists and left-wing activists” and claimed that “troops HATE it.”
Hegseth, among the most controversial appointees to Trump’s cabinet, has recently come under fire for a series of revelations concerning the disclosure of sensitive military operations over the Signal messaging app. Last week, it was revealed that he informed his wife, brother and lawyer of details regarding an airstrike on Houthi targets in Yemen.
Trump has dismissed security concerns and publicly expressed his continue support for Hegseth, although speculation has swirled amid calls for his resignation.
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