Overview

• At a Sept. 16 Senate Judiciary hearing, Sen. Mazie Hirono questioned a new pull-up standard, noting many women struggle with the exercise due to physiological differences.
• FBI Director Kash Patel defended the policy, saying agents must be able to pursue suspects and asserting, “Doing one pull-up is not harsh,” while pointing to medical exemptions.
• According to the FBI, pull-ups become a required event in November 2025 with strict form rules; female applicants must complete at least one and male applicants must complete two to three.
• The fitness rule is part of broader recruitment changes under Patel, including dropping the college-degree requirement and shortening the FBI Academy program from 18 weeks to eight.
• The exchange drew wide attention after the White House RapidResponse X account shared the clip, and the bureau’s announced standard remains in place.