Hegseth says he’s undoing ‘social justice/Biden initiative’ that Trump signed into law

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that he had “proudly ended” the Women, Peace and Security program at the Pentagon on Tuesday, a program signed into law by President Donald Trump in his first term. 

“WPS is yet another woke divisive/social justice/Biden initiative that overburdens our commanders and troops – distracting from our core task: WAR-FIGHTING,” Hegseth wrote in a post on X. 

“WPS is a UNITED NATIONS program pushed by feminists and left-wing activists. Politicians fawn over it; troops HATE it.”

Hegseth said the department would comply with the minimum requirements of the program dictated by law and lobby to fully end it in the next budget. “GOOD RIDDANCE WPS!” he added.

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The Women, Peace and Security program was implemented across departments in 2019.  (U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Clay Beyersdorfer)

But the message raised eyebrows as much of the rest of Trump’s administration has supported the WPS programs. 

Trump signed the WPS Act into law in 2017 and released a WPS strategy in 2019.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem penned the 2017 Women, Peace and Security Act as a House member from South Dakota alongside Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.). Secretary of State Marco Rubio co-sponsored the legislation when he was in the Senate, and national security advisor Mike Waltz was a founding member of the WPS congressional caucus when he was in the House.

 “The WPS Strategy recognizes the diverse roles women play as agents of change in preventing and resolving conflict, countering terrorism and violent extremism, and building post conflict peace and stability,” the strategy read. 

Hegseth later clarified that he meant the Biden administration had “ruined” WPS. 

“The woke & weak Biden Administration distorted & weaponized the straight-forward & security-focused WPS initiative launched in 2017. So—yes—we are ending the “woke divisive/social justice/Biden (WPS) initiative,” he added in a follow-up post on X. “Biden ruined EVERYTHING, including ‘Women, Peace & Security.'”

The White House could not be reached for comment on whether it still supported the program. 

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Hegseth said he would work to undo the WPS program.  (FRANCO BRANA/AFP via Getty Images)

“The WPS Strategy seeks to increase women’s meaningful leadership in political and civic life by helping to ensure they are empowered to lead and contribute, equipped with the necessary skills and support to succeed, and supported to participate through access to opportunities and resources,” the Trump-era strategy read.

It guided WPS plans at the Defense, State and Homeland Security departments as well as USAID. 

“Around the world, conflict and disasters adversely and disproportionately affect women and girls, yet women remain under-represented in efforts to prevent and resolve conflict, and in post-conflict peacebuilding or recovery efforts. Research has shown that peace negotiations are more likely to succeed, and result in lasting stability, when women participate,” the document went on. 

Trump promoted the program on his “Women for Trump” accomplishments page of his campaign website. 

The Women, Peace and Security Act originated with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 in 2000, and the U.S. became the first country to adopt a whole-of-government approach to undertaking the WPS agenda in 2019.

Trump signed the WPS Act into law in 2017.  (Donald Trump 2024 campaign)

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Rubio touted the legislation as recently as this month.

“President Trump also signed the Women, Peace, and Security Act, a bill that I was very proud to have been a co-sponsor of when I was in the Senate, and it was the first comprehensive law passed in any country in the world – the first law passed by any country anywhere in the world — focused on protecting women and promoting their participation in society,” he said at a Women of Courage awards ceremony on April 1.