House Republicans have pressed ahead with plans for an $833 billion defense bill for next year that again includes controversial social positions that have drawn strong opposition from Democrats, including restricting soldiers' access to abortion and scaling back diversity training within the ranks.
A similar amendment on social issues was included in a House Republican spending bill last summer but was ultimately removed from the final compromise budget and is included in the draft defense authorization bill being debated on the House floor this week.
Neither provision is likely to become law due to opposition from the White House and Senate Democrats, but Republicans in Congress have argued the measures are necessary to refocus military leaders on military missions and responsibilities.
“Today's bill ensures that our military has the weapons and tools it needs to confront adversaries anywhere in the world,” said House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-Okla.).
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The bill includes funding for a 4.5% pay increase for soldiers in 2025 and an additional 15% increase in the average pay of junior soldiers, a move that was praised by Republicans and Democrats on the committee.
But the bill ultimately passed along party lines, 34-25, in large part reflecting complaints from Democrats that the military spending bill was a fight that had nothing to do with defense.
“This bill does more to divide us than it unites us,” said Rep. Marcy Kaptur, a Democrat from Ohio. “It contains partisan provisions that have nothing to do with defense policy, turning this important bill into a tool of division rather than the support our service members rightly expect and need.”
Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN) offered an amendment to remove 24 key provisions of the bill (including “funding for reproductive health, LGBTQ+ rights, diversity programs, climate inclusion programs, COVID prevention programs, and free speech”), but it was ultimately rejected by the Republican majority.
The spending bill is expected to move to the full House in the coming weeks and will likely follow a similar path to last year's version, adding more conservative amendments before facing legislative hurdles in the Senate over social issues provisions.
It's unclear when the Senate will introduce its own spending bill. Disagreements between the two chambers last year delayed passage of a budget bill until six months into the new fiscal year, creating headaches for federal agency planning and accounting.
Lawmakers have just a few weeks to draft legislation to avoid pushing back FY25 defense spending into next fiscal year. The House and Senate each have just seven weeks of scheduled sessions left in Washington between now and the November presidential election.
Leo covers Congress, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, DC since 2004, focusing on military and veterans policy. Leo's work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the 2009 Polk Award, the 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.