Number of women in top national security roles falls under Trump

A Democratic analysis commissioned by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, finds that women have become far scarcer in senior diplomatic and security jobs during President Trump's second term. It also says programs aimed at women abroad, some of which Trump embraced earlier, have been dismantled. Shaheen argues the changes damage American influence and national security, according to CBS News.

The numbers cited: women fill 17.4% of Cabinet-level posts, versus 52% under President Biden. Only eight of 201 candidates for senior Pentagon military posts this year were women, and no woman currently holds four-star active-duty rank. Women make up 35 of 206 State Department nominees, or 17%, against 26% in Trump's first term. The American Foreign Service Association says 93 of 196 ambassadorships are vacant.

The administration rejects the criticism. White House spokesperson Olivia Wales called Trump a champion for women, and State Department spokeswoman Paloma Chacon said appointments are merit-based. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced he had ended the Pentagon's Women, Peace and Security program, which Trump signed into law in 2017. Pentagon spokesperson Kingsley Wilson credited Hegseth's policies with a surge in recruitment.

Summarized by PolitiKool from CBS News’s reporting. Read the full story at CBS News →