{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.hirono.senate.gov/news/press-releases/hirono-duckworth-colleagues-introduce-warrior-act-to-codify-womens-right-to-serve-in-combat", "Hirono, Duckworth, Colleagues Introduce WARRIOR Act to Codify Women\u2019s Right to Serve in Combat", "2026-07-30", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "Senate", "HI", "Mazie K. Hirono", "H001042", "www.hirono.senate.gov", "hirono", "https://www.hirono.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a senior member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services (SASC), and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) led 19 of their Democratic colleagues in the Senate in introducing the Women Add Resourcefulness and Resilience to Improve Operational Readiness (WARRIOR) Act, legislation reinforcing the principle that the U.S. military has always relied upon: standards must be based on the demands of the job, not gender. This legislation is critical for maintaining rigorous, gender-neutral standards, especially in light of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Secretary Pete Hegseth\u2019s decision to order a study examining \u201cthe effectiveness of women in combat jobs,\u201d despite there being no evidence that the presence of women in combat units lowers standards. If passed, the WARRIOR Act would codify the commonsense DOD policy that ensures every service member is evaluated on validated and merit-based standards.\n\n\u201cFrom blocking the promotions of qualified servicewomen to ordering an unnecessary study re-examining what a decade of service has already proven, it\u2019s clear that Secretary Hegseth is more interested in attacking women service members than he is in protecting the security of our nation. Building and maintaining the strongest military in the world depends on giving every qualified servicemember a fair chance to meet the required standards to serve our country,\u201d said Senator Hirono. \u201cThis commonsense legislation honors the service of thousands of women who have served in combat roles with distinction, while strengthening our military by ensuring that every qualified service member is judged by their ability, not their gender.\u201d\n\n\u201cOur nation would never be ready for battle without our brave women in uniform who have earned their place in our military,\u201d said Senator Duckworth. \u201cFor all his bluster about meritocracy, Pete Hegseth continues to find slimy ways to push out warriors who have earned their right to serve. This threatens morale and readiness at every level. We must curb this Administration\u2019s moronic agenda against our women in uniform by requiring gender-neutral standards that are scientifically rigorous and prohibiting gender-based exclusion in our Armed Forces, before our military is weakened any further.\u201d\n\nThe WARRIOR Act updates outdated provisions of federal law to align with current DOD policy that ensures military occupational standards are based on validated requirements of the job and applied equally to all qualified service members. This bill codifies what more than two decades of experience has already proven: maintaining rigorous, gender-neutral standards strengthens our military readiness.\n\nDespite this long-standing tradition of merit-based promotions and standards, recent reporting revealed that Secretary Hegseth blocked the promotions of seven senior Navy officers, five of whom are women or people of color. Secretary Hegseth\u2019s unprecedented decision to overrule the promotion board means that for the first time in more than a decade, no female active-duty naval officers are likely to be promoted to admiral this year, officials said. These actions underscore the need for statutory protections to ensure that qualified service members are evaluated on merit, rather than gender.\n\nSpecifically, the WARRIOR Act reinforces merit-based standards in our Armed Forces by:\n\nEstablishing a clear, statutory prohibition on excluding any service member from a military occupational specialty, career field, or assignment based on gender;\n\nRemoving outdated language limiting protections to roles already \u201copen to both male and female members,\u201d ensuring all positions are covered;\n\nMandating that military occupational standards reflect the actual requirements of the job, including technical, tactical, cognitive, physical abilities, and requiring standards to be developed through a scientifically rigorous process;\n\nExpanding congressional review of proposed changes, including costs, data, and rationale, and extending the review period to 180 days and requiring the Department of Defense to submit annual reports to Congress including\n\nChanges to occupational standards\n\nData on involuntary reassignments and separations\n\nJustifications for personnel decisions;\n\nRequiring that service members in good standing have at least 18 months to meet any new or revised standard and incorporating input from DoD medical and research experts, and;\n\nMandating submission to Congress of the full, unredacted study on combat unit effectiveness ordered by the Secretary of Defense in December and requiring a follow-up review by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).\n\nIn addition to Senators Hirono and Duckworth, the WARRIOR Act was cosponsored by Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Patty Murray (D-WA), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Ed Markey (D-MA), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Cory Booker (D-NY), John Fetterman (D-PA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Mark Warner (D-VA).\n\n\u201cThose who defend our freedoms deserve and must receive fair treatment,\u201d said Senator Gillibrand. \u201cThe WARRIOR Act prevents the unjust exclusion of women from combat roles in our armed forces and establishes objective standards that will improve military readiness. I am proud to support this important legislation, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to honor the sacrifice that women service members have made for our country.\u201d\n\n\u201cArbitrarily blocking women from serving in combat roles hurts our military readiness and makes Americans less safe. We should be opening doors to anyone who meets our already high standards to serve - that\u2019s what keeps our military strong,\u201d said Senator Warren.\n\n\u201cTime and time again, Secretary Hegseth has proven that he is willing to jeopardize our nation\u2019s security to promote his extreme ideology and deny qualified servicemembers the roles they have earned. Our servicewomen are essential to our nation\u2019s military strength and readiness and must be given the same opportunity to serve as everyone else,\u201d said Senator Rosen. \u201cThe WARRIOR Act ensures that every single servicemember is judged not by their gender, but by their ability to meet the merit-based standards that are the bedrock of our military effectiveness.\u201d\n\n\u201cWomen have long been integral to our status as the world\u2019s strongest military. Questioning their effectiveness with unnecessary studies or dismissing qualified female officers undermines readiness and weakens national security,\u201d said Senator Kelly. \u201cThis bill preserves gender-neutral standards and ensures any changes are driven by evidence and mission requirements, not politics.\u201d\n\n\"Our fighting force is stronger when any American \u2014 regardless of their gender \u2014 can meet the toughest military standards in the world. With Pete Hegseth at the helm of the Department of Defense, it's critical that we send a clear mission that no position should be off limits solely based on gender,\" said Senator Shaheen.\n\n\"If we want to ensure our military remains the greatest in the world, it is absolutely critical that we pass the WARRIOR Act so that every service member is evaluated based on the demands of the job, not on their gender,\" said Senator Alsobrooks.\n\n\u201cInstead of unifying to celebrate our many strengths and celebrating the diversity of our servicemembers, the Trump Administration and Secretary Hegseth are focused on undermining women in our military. Ensuring that the United States military reflects the talents of all Americans and supports women servicemembers is critical to its strength and success. This legislation reinforces the long-held principle that every service member must be judged on merit-based standards, not partisan metrics or gender,\u201d said Senator Van Hollen.\n\n\u201cPete Hegseth has denigrated the role of women in the military in ways that are completely detached from the reality of the meaningful contributions of women servicemembers. As Secretary of Defense, he is stripping women\u2019s roles in the military and stalling women servicemembers\u2019 promotions. The contributions of our women servicemembers, their courage, and the immense sacrifices they make to keep us safe should never be demeaned,\u201d said Senator Murray. \u201cI am proud to lead this legislation alongside my colleagues to make it clear that servicemembers should be evaluated on merit-based standards, not their gender. And I want to send a strong message to every woman who bravely serves our nation: we stand with you, we celebrate you, and our country is forever grateful for your service.\u201d\n\n\u201cOur military should judge every service member by their ability, not their gender,\u201d said Senator Hickenlooper. \u201cThe more than 5,000 women who have served our nation with distinction in combat have shown that every qualified American who meets the appropriate standards deserves the opportunity to serve. This bill ensures this administration can't play politics with the careers of the service members who risk their lives to keep Americans safe.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnyone with the will to serve their country and the ability to do the job shouldn\u2019t be shut out of combat units due to their gender,\u201d said Senator Wyden. \u201cPete Hegseth has made no secret of his contempt for women and transgender servicemembers. That's why Congress must pass the WARRIOR Act\u2014to protect the fact that every qualified servicemember should be judged by merit, not by chauvinistic and outdated perceptions of gender roles.\u201d\n\nThe WARRIOR ACT is endorsed by the: American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Service Women's Action Network (SWAN), Minority Veterans of America, Women in Service Coalition Inc. (WiSCI), National Women's Law Center Action Fund, Former JAGs Working Group, Vet Voice Foundation.\n\n\u201cWomen play critical roles across the U.S. military, including in ground combat arms, and are integral to our miliary readiness. Removing qualified women from these roles would disrupt units, damage morale, gut retention and recruiting, and send an anti-women message with far-reaching impact across the force. WiSCI supports the WARRIOR Act to ensure that changes in personnel policy are based on evidence of impact to combat capability and not bias,\u201d said Brenda S. \"Sue\u201d Fulton, Executive Director WiSCI: Women in the Service Coalition, Inc.\n\n\"Service members have been meeting rigorous, job-specific standards for decades, particularly in operational and combat roles where requirements are tied to mission demands. This legislation affirms that service members must meet the standards required to succeed in today\u2019s military and recognizes that excellence is defined by skill, performance, and ability, not gender,\u201d said Lindsay Church, Executive Director of Minority Veterans of America. \u201cMilitary readiness is best ensured by allowing every qualified person the opportunity to serve in any role, including in combat.\"\n\n\u201cWomen serve an invaluable role in our military, displaying courage, skill, and commitment. Our national security and today\u2019s military readiness, recruitment and retention depend on the many women serving their country in the military, including in combat,\u201d said Gaylynn Burroughs, Vice President for Education and Workplace Justice at NWLC AF. \u201cBut as this administration has made clear, too often their role is undermined and even attacked. The WARRIOR Act reinforces that individuals should be judged on individual merit and ability, not gender-based stereotypes. The bill recognizes the important role of women in the military by prohibiting any exclusions from military occupational specialties or assignments because of gender. We thank Senators Hirono and Duckworth for taking action and introducing this timely and important legislation.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe end of the discriminatory direct ground combat exclusion policy in 2013 and the opening of all jobs and units in 2016 was long overdue and much heralded. This change finally actualized the fundamental principles of meritocracy and skill that guide our institutions, rejecting policy premised on stereotypes and ideology,\u201d said Mike Zamore, National Director of Policy and Government Affairs, ACLU. \u201cFor the past decade, service women have continuously met the standards and excelled in ground combat roles \u2014 all of which is now at risk. We applaud Sen. Hirono and Sen. Duckworth for introducing the WARRIOR Act. The legislation bars exclusions based on gender and authorizes congressional oversight of changes that may undermine the integration of women in combat roles. We urge all Members of Congress to support this legislation.\u201d\n\nCompanion legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representatives Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Maggy Goodlander (D-NH), Gil Cisneros (D-Companion legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representatives Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Maggy Goodlander (D-NH), Gil Cisneros (D-CA), Jason Crow (D-CO), Pat Ryan (D-NY), Mike Thompson (D-CA), and Derek Tran (D-CA).\n\nTo read the full text of the legislation, click here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-31T07:49:23Z", "2026-07-31T07:50:48Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.hirono.senate.gov/news/press-releases/hirono-duckworth-colleagues-introduce-warrior-act-to-codify-womens-right-to-serve-in-combat"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 3.4001099411398172, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}