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First, under current law, all 18 year old males are required to register for the draft.
Second, almost all states currently provide for "automatic" registration when someone applies for a driver’s license or state ID.
Third, the proposal for nationwide automatic registration originated with Reps. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) and Don Bacon (R-NE) in 2024 and was approved unanimously in committee and included in the defense authorization bills that were passed by the House and Senate that year. However, the defense authorization ultimately adopted was stripped down considerably, with the selective service provision among the many provisions that were deleted.

In 2025, the provision was included in the defense authorization bill as originally introduced and was in the bill when it was passed at the end of the year. No opposition to the provision was voiced.

As Rep. Houlahan emphasized, this provision doesn't authorize the renewal of the draft, which would take a separate act of Congress. Her rationale for the provision is that “Making registration automatic, not only saves taxpayer dollars by eliminating the need to advertise but finally ensures that young men are not unknowingly penalized.”