Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) responded to claims that military recruitment among women is declining in a post to X (formerly Twitter), saying, "There's a reason why female service member recruitment is at all-time high."
Rep. Luna shared an article from Fox News in a second post, which found that 23,985 women enlisted in the Armed Forces in Fiscal Year 2025 so far, according to the Pentagon, a notable increase from Fiscal Year 2024's 16,725 number.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth came under scrutiny during his confirmation hearings in January, where he expressed skepticism toward women serving in ground combat roles, arguing that fitness standards were lowered to accommodate them.
"I respect every single female servicemember who has put on the uniform past and present," said Hegseth, adding, "My critiques…have been instances where I have seen standards lowered."
In her response to the Fox article, Rep. Luna said, "As a former United States Air Force veteran, I can tell you that overall morale, the Commander-in-Chief, and his chosen leadership at the Pentagon make a huge difference, especially in recruitment and retention."
"The bottom line is this administration and Secretary Hegseth has prioritized lethality and mission readiness over political pandering," the Florida Congresswoman continued, adding, "That's exactly why women, and men, all across the country are more trusting of their leadership and more willing to serve. This @DeptofDefense and the Trump admin is empowering women who want to serve."
In March 2023, Luna's first piece of legislation sought to address high rates of sexual assault and harassment of predominantly female servicemembers (although men reported instances as well) by mandating monthly self-defense against sexual assault for servicemembers.
However, the Biden Department of Defense argued that her proposed program was "victim-blaming," "stigmatizing," and that it "re-traumatizes victims" the following July.
The Florida Congresswoman snapped back, "This is really one of the most absurd things I've seen, and as a veteran, it is highly disturbing that the DOD would shun plain common sense: our men and women in uniform should be equipped to defend themselves against attack, and opposing the use of self-defense and combat training does not set them up for success."
