Today, Rep. Lois Frankel (FL-22), Co-Chair of the bipartisan Women, Peace, and Security Caucus, released the following statement after Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced he was eliminating Women, Peace, and Security efforts at the Department of Defense. President Trump signed the Women, Peace, and Security Act into law in 2017 after Congress passed it unanimously.

“Hegseth’s elimination of Women, Peace, and Security work inside the Department of Defense is an outrageous and reckless move. The Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) initiative isn’t “woke”—it’s smart, strategic policy grounded in decades of research and bipartisan law, signed by President Trump in 2017,” said Rep. Frankel.

“WPS reflects what our military leaders and national security experts have long recognized: including women in peace and security efforts gives us a strategic advantage. When women are at the table—whether in preventing conflict, negotiating peace, or leading recovery—peace agreements are more durable, communities are more resilient, and missions are more successful. This matters especially in conflict zones, where rape is used as a weapon of war, and women are often left to protect and provide for their families,” continued Rep. Frankel.

“Dismissing WPS as a “UN feminist plot” is not just ignorant—it’s dangerous. It denies the reality on the ground, ignores our own defense and diplomatic priorities, and weakens our national security. Undermining women’s leadership undermines our values—and hands our adversaries an advantage. We must not let this stand.”

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