Congresswomen Grace Meng, D-NY, chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), who represents a diverse population in Queens, is calling on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, to re-examine his proposed changes on grooming practices of armed forces personnel.
Ahead of Veterans Day, Rep. Meng, and Rep. Ted Lieu, D-California, vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus and CAPAC Veterans and Armed Services Taskforce Chair, led 48 Members of Congress November 10, sending a letter to Secretary Hegseth on his plans to restrict religious accommodations for facial hair in the United States Armed Forces.
Rep. Meng is serving her seventh term in the United States House of Representatives, and is the first female Congressmember from Queens since former Vice Presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro.
The letter to Hegseth comes on the heels of a speech Secretary Hegseth made on September 30, to high-ranking officers, saying, “the era of rampant and ridiculous shaving profiles is done” and that there would be “no more beards, long hair, [or] superficial individual expression.”
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“The changes he outlined would require thousands of servicemembers—including Sikhs, Jews, Muslims, Christians, Rastafarians, and other religious personnel—to choose between practicing their faith or their military service,” CAPAC said in its November 10 press release.
The letter urges Secretary Hegseth to pause the 60-day implementation guidelines for this new policy and requests clarity on how religious accommodations for facial hair for troops whose religion calls for it, will be maintained and respected.
“Our nation’s servicemembers have proven time and time again that they can honor their religious beliefs while serving with distinction. These brave men and women put their lives on the line to protect our country and the rights enshrined in the Constitution. It is nothing short of a moral failing to restrict their First Amendment rights while asking them to protect ours,” said Rep. Meng.
“Service members should be able to serve their country while honoring their religious beliefs, full stop. It is hypocritical for the Department of Defense to ask members of our Military to defend our Constitution, which includes the freedom of religion, while restricting their ability to practice their religion,” Rep. Lieu said.
Some religions require or strongly recommend men to keep their beards uncut. “For Sikh soldiers, shaving is like cutting off a limb. Other faith traditions, including Judaism, Islam, Christianity, and Rastafari, have rules governing facial hair and grooming practices,” the press release noted.
In 2022, a federal court had ruled in favor of Sikh recruits, allowing them to train with their beards and turbans. In 2011, an Orthodox Jewish rabbi settled a lawsuit against the U.S. Army that allowed him to keep his beard and serve as a military chaplain.
Last month, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, Congressional Jewish Caucus, and Congressional Black Caucus Chairs issued a joint statement condemning Secretary Hegseth’s comments regarding grooming and uniform standards within the U.S. military.
The letter is endorsed by the advocacy organization, Sikh Coalition, and was signed by 50 Members of Congress: CAPAC Chair Grace Meng (NY-06), Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus Ted Lieu (CA-36), Reps. Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), Wesley Bell (MO-01), Ami Bera (CA-06), Don Beyer (VA-08), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Judy Chu (CA-28), Gil Cisneros (CA-31), Yvette Clarke (NY-11), Emanuel Cleaver, II (MO-05), Jim Costa (CA-21), Jason Crow (CO-06), Danny K. Davis (IL-07), Madeleine Dean (PA-04), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Dwight Evans (PA-03), Lois Frankel (FL-22), John Garamendi (CA-08), Dan Goldman (NY-10), Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), Al Green (TX-09), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Doris Matsui (CA-07), Jim McGovern (MA-02), Gregory Meeks (NY-05), Jerry Nadler (NY-12), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Bobby Scott (VA-03), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Brad Sherman (CA-32), Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), Thomas Suozzi (NY-03), Eric Swalwell (CA-14), Mark Takano (CA-39), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Mike Thompson (CA-04), Bennie Thompson (MS-02), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Jill Tokuda (HI-02), Norma Torres (CA-35), Derek Tran (CA-45), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12).