Following Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth telling hundreds of assembled generals their soldiers must meet the “highest male standard” of fitness on Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth and state Rep. Stephanie Kifowit addressed his “warrior ethos.”

“If this deeply degrading, wasteful and dangerous stunt proved anything, it’s that the best thing Hegseth can do to strengthen our military is resign in disgrace. Immediately,” Duckworth, a Democrat, said on Bluesky.

Duckworth served in the military for 23 years. In 2004, while deployed in Iraq, she was one of the first women to fly a helicopter in a combat mission. She received the Purple Heart after surviving a rocket-propelled grenade attack in which she lost both of her legs and partial use of an arm.

Hegseth said the military will ensure “every designated combat arms position returns to the highest male standard,” according to the Associated Press.

“If women can make it, excellent, if not, it is what it is,” Hegseth said Tuesday in Quantico, Virginia, as reported by the Associated Press. “If that means no women qualify for some combat jobs, so be it. That is not the intent, but it could be the result.”

Specific combat, special operations, infantry, armor, pararescue and other jobs already require every soldier to meet the same standards, according to the Associated Press.

Duckworth’s comments were mirrored by U.S. Marine Corps veteran Kifowit, a Democrat from Oswego who is the only female veteran currently in Illinois General Assembly.

“This policy threatens and undermines the very ideals of merit and readiness, and sends a message to women who have served, are currently serving, or aspire to serve their country that their country does not value them,” Kifowit said in a release. “Already, women who are serving have to prove that they can do the job, and show ability for those Military Occupational Specialty’s that are combat ready.”

Kifowit said she served during a time when women were not allowed to serve in combat roles, but were still frequently sent to combat zone front lines. She said many deserving women were “denied meritorious awards and medals because of the technicality.”

With women currently making up 17% of the Armed Forces serving on active duty, Kifowit said Hegseth’s policies will only deny the military “the skills needed to complete the mission” while favoring “counter-productive measures.”

As of 2024, the Army has about 4,800 women in combat roles and the Marine Corps has another 500. Combat positions were first opened to women in 2016 by President Barack Obama and then Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter. The policy opened all occupational specialities to qualified applicants regardless of sex.

Earlier this year, the Defense Department said 4,240 military members are transgender. Estimates from the National Institutes of Health in 2020 put that number closer to 8,000 people.