We apparently lack sufficient civics education in this country, as observed by the freak–out concerning prospective National Defense Authorization Act bills in the House and Senate. The House’s bill includes a change to the Selective Service, the enrollment mechanism for draft eligibility, that would auto-enroll young men instead of having them fill out a postcard with their information while threatening dire consequences if they do not. Meanwhile, the Senate Armed Service Committee is floating the idea of also including American women in the Selective Service.
Elizabeth Elkind reports for Fox News:
The House of Representatives passed a measure on Friday automatically registering men aged 18 to 26 for selective service.
It was part of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which sets out the U.S. government’s military and national security priorities over the next fiscal year.
This year’s NDAA authorizes $895.2 billion in military spending, a $9 billion increase from fiscal 2024.
While it hasn’t been invoked in over half a century, it’s mandatory for all male U.S. citizens to register for the selective service, also known as the military draft, when they turn 18. Failure to register is classified as a felony and comes with a host of legal challenges.
The first item, having an automated registration system for those who’d need to register regardless, is reasonable. However, the proposed inclusion of women seems more like a poison pill than it does an effort to craft legislation that would be brought to the Senate floor by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.).
The next consideration is whether a conference committee could reconcile the House bill’s pay increases and abortion decreases with what the Senate would pass. While neither party would deny its affection for the troops, quite a few culture-war-related items in both bills are either planted for possible rounds of horse-trading or for detonating perhaps the only major legislation that could have passed this election year.
A pay raise favoring the junior enlisted for once, an update to how we register American men for the draft, and some material upgrades to barracks and base facilities would be wins enough. Run it lean.