**Watch Congresswoman Goodlander’s remarks here.**
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander (NH-02) introduced the Women Add Resourcefulness and Resilience to Improve Operational Readiness (WARRIOR) Act, a bill to codify the role of women in combat and protect women’s ability to serve through the creation of true gender-neutral standards.
Congresswoman Goodlander, a Navy Reserve veteran, introduced the bill with Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06), an Army veteran, and cosponsors Rep. Jason Crow (CO-06), Rep. Pat Ryan (NY-18), Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04), and Rep. Derek Tran (CA-45).
In honor of Women’s History Month, and in response to the Pentagon review of the “effectiveness” of women in combat roles, the WARRIOR Act proactively affirms women’s qualifications to serve in combat. The legislation amends outdated law from 1996 and 2006 to ensure that women are judged on their skills, performance, and the gender-neutral standards that women in combat are already meeting and exceeding. In so doing, the WARRIOR Act prevents any exclusion of women in our Armed Forces.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has repeatedly cast doubt on women’s ability to serve in combat roles. This disdain for female servicemembers underscores the need for the WARRIOR Act and the protections it ensures for military women.
“America is the land of the free because we are the home of millions of women who have worn the uniform and answered the call to serve,” said Congresswoman Goodlander. “The WARRIOR Act is about one simple principle: if you can meet the standard, you deserve a fair shot—full stop. This commonsense bill will make our military stronger, our country safer, and ensure every qualified service member is judged by their ability, not their gender.”
“Now more than ever, we should be supporting each and every servicemember willing to wear the uniform, not scrutinizing and pushing out qualified women simply because they are women,” said Congresswoman Houlahan. “The WARRIOR Act protects our servicemembers, ensuring that no one is excluded from a military assignment on the basis of gender. This bill is about strength – the strength of our military standards, the strength of the women who meet them, and the strength of our nation when we enable these women to serve.”
The WARRIOR Act is endorsed by the Vet Voice Foundation, Minority Veterans of America, Women in Service Coalition Inc. (WiSCI), and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA).
The full text of the WARRIOR Act is available here.
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