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Selective Service

Floor Speech

Date: March 13, 2013
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Military Personnel

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, in 1972, I volunteered to serve in the United States Army at a time when young men were still being drafted into our military. The last draftees were inducted into the United States Army in 1973, and 2 years later, given the success of the all-volunteer Army, the requirement for young men to register with Selective Service ended.

In a symbolic show of strength to the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan, President Jimmy Carter asked Congress to reinstate the Selective Service System in 1980. Congress did so, and to this day all males are required by law to register with the Selective Service System within 30 days of their 18th birthday. However, despite the first gulf war, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, conscription has never been considered as a viable option by our military.

Mr. Speaker, my bill, H.R. 978, will end the registration requirement and dismantle the outdated Selective Service bureaucracy--saving the taxpayers over $24 million a year--and I urge its adoption.


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