Over the past decade, the United States built something rare in Washington: a bipartisan foreign policy success story. The Women, Peace, and Security Act, passed by Congress in 2017, made America the first country in the world to turn decades of global research into law, recognizing that when women are included in peace and security efforts, nations are more stable, conflicts are shorter, and democracies are stronger.
Now, that bipartisan agenda is going dark overnight.
The current administration has failed to produce the legally required report on WPS implementation due by Oct. 31, one of the few congressional mandates that directly connects gender equality to national security.
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About the authors
Tazreen Hussain
Tazreen Hussain is a gender equality and governance expert with over 15 years of experience advancing women’s leadership, peace, and inclusive democracy worldwide. As cofounder of the WPS Collective and former women, peace, and security adviser at USAID, she develops strategies, programs, and partnerships that drive systemic, community-centered impact globally.
Carolyn Washington
Carolyn Washington has extensive women, peace, and security expertise. Most recently, she served as the women, peace, and security manager at the Department of Homeland Security. She holds a Ph.D. in Global Gender Studies from the University at Buffalo, New York.
Rachel Wein
Rachel Wein is a cofounder of WPS Collective and a women, peace, and security expert with nearly a decade of experience in U.S. national security and foreign policy, most recently serving at the Department of State in the Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues. She earned a master of Public Policy from George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree from James Madison University.
