Rep. Chu Condemns DOD’s Rollback of Military Hazing Protections

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28) led 27 Members of Congress in sending a letter to Department of Defense (DOD) Secretary Pete Hegseth condemning his recent policy directives rolling back the military’s safeguards against hazing and abuse. The letter urges Secretary Hegseth to immediately withdraw these dangerous policy changes, uphold its statutory reporting requirements, and strengthen protections for service members. 

Rep. Chu’s letter follows Secretary Hegseth’s September 30, 2025 remarks at Marine Corps Base Quantico and subsequent policy memorandums announcing sweeping changes to how the military handles allegations of hazing and other forms of abuse. In front of over 800 generals and flag officers, Secretary Hegseth announced that drill instructors would be authorized to “instill healthy fear” in recruits, “put their hands on recruits,” ransack rooms, and reinstate the outdated and ineffective practice of “shark attacks.” His comments and memos directly contradict the Department’s own reports, which state that these behaviors weaken unit cohesion and jeopardize mission success.

“This issue is deeply personal to me,” said Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28). “My nephew, Marine Lance Corporal Harry Lew, was the victim of a horrific hazing incident while serving in Afghanistan in 2011. For 3.5 hours, his peers berated him, stomped on his back, kicked and punched him, and poured the entire contents of a sandbag onto his face and in his mouth. Just 22 minutes after the abuse ended, Harry took his own life. He was only 21 years old.”

In the letter, the Members highlight Harry’s story as well as the stories of other recruits and service members, including Thomas Weaver, Lance Cpl. Ameer Bourmeche, Sgt. Phillip Roach, Staff Sgt. Logan Melgar, and Raheel Siddiquis, who were severely traumatized, injured, or tragically lost their lives because of hazing. The Members wrote: “All service members and recruits must be treated with dignity and respect. Weakening these protections will only worsen the existing problem of military hazing and endanger more lives. Hazing incidents have already traumatized too many victims and claimed too many lives.”

The letter strongly urges DOD to retain the existing definitions, take steps to strengthen hazing prevention and reporting policies, and provide answers to a series of questions about how DOD plans to implement these changes and fulfill its statutory requirement accurately provide hazing and bullying reports to Congress. 

Rep. Chu has been a champion of efforts to combat hazing in the military throughout her time in Congress. She called for and testified at the first Congressional hearing on military hazing since 1979. Following that hearing, she introduced the Harry Lew Military Hazing Accountability and Prevention Act, which was enacted as part of the fiscal year (FY) 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). She later secured additional provisions in the FY 2015 NDAA requiring the first ever Government Accountability Office (GAO) review of anti-hazing efforts across the Department of Defense and Coast Guard. When the GAO report confirmed serious gaps in training, tracking, and accountability, Rep. Chu authored and passed additional NDAA amendments to require annual DOD reporting, uniform data collection, and improved command training to prevent hazing. She previously wrote an Op-Ed in the New York Times reflecting on the death of 19-year-old Army private Danny Chen and her nephew, Harry.  

Click hereto read the full letter. 

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