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The House narrowly passed the National Defense Authorization Act along mostly party-line lines, breaking a nearly 60-year precedent of passing annual packages with significant bipartisan support.
The vote was 219-210, with four Republicans voting against the bill and four Democrats voting for it.
“Under this bill, the men and women in uniform who sacrifice every day for our country will receive the largest pay raise in decades,” House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said after Friday morning’s vote. said. “Radical plans forced on the military at the expense of readiness are now eliminated and cutting-edge technology is essential to the future of this country and essential to defending freedoms around the world from the rise of China and Russia. They’re going to get more investment than we did.” We’ve seen that in the past. ”
Mr McCarthy agreed to demands from conservative groups who had threatened to block a vote on the annual defense bill unless amendments on a series of far-right policies were passed. House Republicans will pass a variety of social policy amendments, including a bill to abolish the Defense Department’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and a bill to deny transgender-related health insurance coverage to military members. succeeded in.
“The military needs to be focused on readiness and lethality, and everything else gets in the way of that and undermines national security,” said Rep. Scott Perry, R-S.C., chairman of the Freedom Caucus. Pennsylvania) told reporters on Friday.
A pivotal moment in this week’s debate came from Rep. Ronnie Jackson, Republican of Texas, whose amendment would prohibit the Department of Defense from paying or reimbursing travel expenses related to abortion care for service members. This is a policy implemented by the Department of Defense following the decision of the Supreme Commander. The court overturned Roe v. Wade.
“The days of the radical left ignoring the law and promoting a destructive social agenda within the military are over,” Jackson said Thursday on the House floor.
The Democratic Party’s backlash was swift.
”As leaders of the pro-choice caucus, we are outraged by House Republicans’ attempt to impose extreme anti-abortion policies on American service members in what should be a bipartisan bill.” Barbara of California said Rep. Lee and Colorado Rep. Diana DeGette. In a statement.
“It is unfortunate that House Republicans use women to protect our country on the battlefield, but refuse to let women make their own health care decisions. Our military members are fighting for freedom. We should strive to protect their freedom, not to strip them of their rights. ”
The abortion amendment mirrors a similar debate playing out in the Senate, where Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville continues to block military promotions until the Pentagon reverses the policy.
The various culture war amendments effectively served as a poison pill for most Democrats who could not bear to support a package containing the attached amendments.
Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D.N.J.), a former Navy helicopter pilot, told reporters that she supported the bill introduced by the House Armed Services Committee, but that additional measures on abortion and other social issues would be required on Friday. said he voted against it.
“They turned a bipartisan defense bill into a vehicle to advance a completely untouchable culture war agenda, an agenda that attacks service members who are women, LGBTQ, and people of color,” she said.
Another female veteran who opposed the bill, Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pennsylvania, said many Republicans who had expressed concerns about adding controversial issues to the bill ended up passing the abortion amendment. He said he was surprised by the support.
She thought as many as 15 people would object, but in the end only two broke the rankings.
“This is a back door to completely ban abortion nationwide,” Houlahan said.
Both Sherrill and Houlahan dismissed the political backlash for voting against other policies in the bill, such as pay raises for military personnel, saying voters know about their military backgrounds and that these policies will make it through the Senate. He said he was skeptical about moving forward.
Another example of the great influence of the House Freedom Caucus
The Armed Services Committee passed the bill 58-1 last month.
The committee’s top Democrat, Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), and other leaders said in a statement: Democrats on the committee said they would not vote to pass the defense package given the numerous Republican amendments.
“What was once an example of compromise and functioning government has become an ode to bigotry and ignorance. Reproductive rights, access to basic health care, and racism and marginalization in vast swathes of our country. Attacks on efforts to address our history of “our recruitment and retention crisis degrade the capabilities of our military and seriously harm our national defense and national security.” ” the statement reads.
The fact that a bill that was expected to have bipartisan support ended up receiving support from only a handful of Democrats highlights Mr. McCarthy’s narrow majority, and the fact that the chairman is willing to take on the demands of the far-right Freedom Caucus for his purposes. He offers another example of acquiescence. passing laws;
He proposed various amendments to avoid a repeat of recent events in which members of the Freedom Caucus rejected a procedural vote to consider an energy bill because they could not agree with Mr. McCarthy’s strategy on the debt limit. Agreed. This time, Mr. McCarthy is worried that funding for Ukraine and many moderates will lead to a backlash from voters, and he is pushing back on a number of social issues that are not expected to advance in the Senate. I yielded to their pressure to allow debate and voting.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) pushed to strip Ukraine of an additional $300 million, but that effort failed. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), another opponent of U.S. military aid in Ukraine, introduced an amendment to withdraw that aid, but it was overwhelmingly defeated.
House Democratic leaders accused Republicans of using the bill as a vehicle to advance their conservative social policy agenda.
“Extreme MAGA Republicans have chosen to hijack the historically bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act in order to continue their attack on reproductive freedom and force their right-wing ideology down the throats of the American people,” House Democratic Leaders said. said Hakeem Jeffries, Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar and Whip Catherine. Clark said in a statement earlier this week. “House Republicans have turned what should have been a meaningful investment in our men and women in uniform into extreme and reckless legislative fun.”
Even if it passes the House, the defense package will likely die once it reaches the Senate, given various changes from Republicans.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has already said the Senate will adopt its own version of the policy, intensifying partisan conflict as the two chambers reconcile legislation. He aims to have the bill voted on by the end of the month.
Asked about his future path in the Senate, McCarthy said, “I’m looking forward to it.”[s] The bill coming out of the House is different from Schumer’s bill. ”
“You know what? We designed our government this way, because we come to meetings and find places where we can come together,” he told reporters.
Earlier this week, the White House issued a statement on the House bill, noting many bipartisan elements that would enhance the Pentagon’s priorities, but also listing a number of provisions it opposes.
Regarding changes to existing diversity efforts, the White House said, “Laws that reduce the Department of Defense’s ability to create a positive work environment and take full advantage of the best that our nation has to offer make the Department a strategic It puts them at a disadvantage,” he said.