House GOP passes mammoth annual defense bill with culture war amendments

The House on Friday approved its version of the annual defense policy bill that includes a series of controversial culture war amendments, setting the stage for a showdown with the Democratic-controlled Senate over legislation that normally enjoys bipartisan support.

The chamber approved the $883.7 billion measure — known as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) — on a largely party-line vote of 217-199. Six Democrats voted in favor of the measure, while three Republicans opposed it.

The House’s legislation is almost certain to languish in the Senate, where Democrats, who hold the majority, abhor many of the changes added by Republicans, including those on abortion, transgender rights and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. (DEI). .

The Senate Armed Services Committee this week held a markup for its own version of the NDAA, the text of which is not expected to be released until July, a panel spokesperson told The Hill. Leaders from both chambers will then craft a compromise version of the legislation, which has been voted on and signed into law every year for the past six decades.

Top Republicans, however, praised their bill as a strong measure that will support U.S. troops, empower the National Guard to crack down on the southern border and provide American forces with innovative technologies.

“This is an important bill because it will support our brave service members,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said this week.

At the top of the list of culture war amendments added to the House NDAA was a provision led by Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas) that seeks to block a Biden administration policy that reimburses military personnel for travel costs incurred when receiving an abortion. It centers on the same Pentagon policy that Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) targeted during his months-long blockade of military promotions last year.

The House approved Van Duyne’s amendment by a vote of 214 to 207. Two Republicans — Reps. John Duarte (Calif.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.) — opposed the measure, while one Democrat, Rep. Henry Cuellar (Texas), the supported.

Republicans have also pursued LGBTQ+ medical care and diversity efforts in the military, including an amendment from Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) to block funding to cover gender transition medical procedures for transgender troops. This amendment was approved in the chamber by 213 votes to 206.

A handful of other proposals cut DEI programs, including an amendment from Reps. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) to place DEI-related Pentagon jobs in a permanent hiring freeze. The Chamber adopted the measure by 216 votes to 206.

Ahead of Thursday’s votes, Democrats warned GOP leaders against loading the bill with so-called poison pills — Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.), a Navy veteran, argued that the conservative amendments “cheapen it” the defense project.

“They are choosing to use the National Defense Authorization Act to shove their extremist culture war agenda down the throats of the American people,” Sherrill said.

Partisan disputes erupted over the NDAA after the House Armed Services Committee advanced the annual defense policy bill on a bipartisan 57-1 vote last month. That bipartisan flair, however, ended after the House Rules Committee began voting on a series of culture war amendments and lawmakers approved some of them.

The Republican Party’s strategy of embracing culture war issues in the NDAA is not new. Then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) did the same last year, counting on a united Republican Party as nearly all Democrats opposed the bill after Republicans loaded it with similar amendments attacking the Pentagon’s policies on abortion access, medical care for transgender troops, and DEI initiatives.

The legislation was eventually approved by the Senate, with the upper chamber making concessions to eliminate the abortion policy provisions. However, some culture war changes made it into the final version, including measures to limit “critical race theory” at military academies and ban unauthorized flags on military bases, which would ban the flying of LGBTQ pride flags.

Just like last year, this time Republican leaders had little room for error when it came to the final vote on the NDAA. Republicans have a razor-thin majority in the House, allowing them to lose just two GOP votes on any partisan measures as long as all lawmakers are present.

The House-passed NDAA meets spending caps set in last year’s debt limit agreement, imposing a 1% increase over the fiscal 2024 defense policy bill. of millions of dollars proposed by the Pentagon, increasing funds for submarines, reducing money for fighter planes and delaying the overhaul of dozens of aircraft.

The bill also has a provision that would rehire soldiers expelled for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.

Additionally, the House NDAA contains widely supported quality of life initiatives for the military, such as a pay increase of about 20% for junior enlisted soldiers and increases in soldiers’ housing allowances.

These measures, designed to help younger military families, keep troops in the military longer and attract potential recruits, mean that nearly all military personnel will earn more than $30,000 annually in base pay.

This is in addition to a 4.5% pay increase for all military personnel next year, as included in the bill.

Another noteworthy measure reserves the right of state governors to approve the transfer of their Air National Guard units to the Space Force, notable because the Biden administration is seeking to transfer those military personnel to the relatively new military branch. But the request was opposed by all 50 state governors and several House and Senate lawmakers.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story