House Republicans on Thursday added a series of culture-war-style amendments to the annual defense bill, complicating final passage of the traditionally bipartisan measure later this year.
Among the amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed on Thursday was a measure to block a Biden administration policy that would reimburse military personnel for travel expenses for abortions. The amendment, introduced by Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas), is a top priority for conservatives and passed by a vote of 214 to 207.
Reps. John Duarte (R-Calif.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) were the only Republicans voting no, while Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) was the only Democrat to support the amendment.
The House also passed amendments that would prohibit the Pentagon from providing gender-affirming care to transgender individuals and would close diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices and positions.
These measures will almost certainly erode Democratic support for the bill when it comes to a vote in the House on Friday – even though it passed the committee nearly unanimously – a active that will force Republican leadership to rely on its narrow majority to get the bill passed.
“Amendments like these devalue the National Defense Authorization Act,” said Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) during debate on the Van Duyne amendment to reimburse for abortion services. “Once again, this majority has chosen not to treat national security issues with the seriousness with which they should be treated, and they have chosen to use the National Defense Authorization Act to impose their extremist culture war agenda on the American people.”
But Van Duyne said her amendment represents a return to a longstanding policy with the same principles as the Hyde Amendment, a multi-passed amendment that prohibits the spending of federal funds on abortion.
“I would like to ask my dear colleagues to tell me how the support and payment of [Department of Defense] “Providing funds for a woman to travel across the country for an abortion has nothing to do with protecting our national security,” Van Duyne said.
House Republicans can only afford to lose two of their members on an intra-party measure when all members are present, leaving party leaders little room for error in the final vote on the NDAA.
Even if the House NDAA passes the chamber on Friday, it is unlikely to pass in the Democratic-controlled Senate — which has no appetite for the culture war amendments added Thursday — setting the stage for a clash between the House and Senate.
The Senate Armed Services Committee is still working on its version of the NDAA, and the text is not expected to be released before July, a spokesman for the panel told The Hill on Thursday.
One of the amendments added to the NDAA on Thursday seeks to eliminate the position of chief diversity officer at the Pentagon and prevent the creation of a similar position. The chamber approved the measure, introduced by Rep. Brian Higgins (R-N.Y.), by a vote of 214 to 210.
Fitzpatrick and Reps. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.), Thomas Kean Jr. (RN.J.) and Mike Turner (R-Ohio) joined all Democrats in voting no.
Another amendment, introduced by Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), called for the elimination of all diversity, equity, and inclusion offices within the armed forces and the Pentagon and the termination of officials serving in those offices. The motion passed by a vote of 211 to 208 after lawmakers were forced to vote on the amendment again.
The first vote on the Norman Amendment ended in a tie vote of 212 to 212, a defeat in the House. However, the Secretary’s office ruled that the delegates’ votes were decisive in the final vote, prompting the chamber to hold a second vote on the bill, which passed.
Fitzpatrick, Chavez-DeRemer, Turner and Reps. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) and Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) joined all Democrats in opposing the measure.
Transgender healthcare has also been targeted by Republicans through legislative changes. A proposal introduced by Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) would prevent TRICARE, the health program for energetic military personnel, from covering gender reassignment surgery and hormone treatments for people who identify as transgender.
The amendment passed by a vote of 213 to 206. One Republican, Representative Tony Gonzales (Texas), voted “no” and one Democrat, Cuellar, voted “yes.”
The NDAA’s path so far is similar to the process last year, when House Republicans passed their version of the bill that included a number of culture war-related changes, only to have them stripped out in a compromise proposal drafted by top lawmakers in both chambers. The final product passed the House in a bipartisan vote of 310 to 118.
However, some controversial amendments were passed, including measures to restrict “critical race theory” at military academies and a ban on unauthorized flags on military bases, which resulted in the prohibition of flying LGBTQ flags.
Ahead of Thursday night’s vote, several culture war amendments were also added to this year’s House NDAA.
On Wednesday, lawmakers voted for an amendment introduced by Republican Rep. Chip Roy (Texas) that would prohibit the employ of funds from the bill to implement a series of President Biden’s executive orders on climate change. The motion passed by a vote of 215 to 210, with one Democrat – Rep. Mary Peltola (Alaska) – voting yes and two Republicans, Fitzpatrick and Chavez-DeRemer, opposing the measure.
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) used a striking visual device to protest a bill that would ban the spending of funds on drag shows and “drag queen story hours”: a poster showing former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani in a woman’s costume next to former President Trump.
“We know that inclusion in our military is good for our country. We want to welcome anyone who wants to serve. I would invite my Republican colleagues to join me at a drag show in the future. They will see that drag is not a threat to anyone,” Garcia said.
This amendment was adopted by voice vote.
Democrats are already cracking down on Republicans—especially those in a tight re-election race—for supporting defense bill amendments that favor the culture war, particularly Van Duyne’s abortion bill.
“If the day ends in ‘J,’ Republicans in the House will vote for nationwide abortion restrictions,” Viet Shelton, spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said in a statement. “They are more interested in attacking the reproductive freedoms of our nation’s service members than ensuring our troops get the support they need, and voters will not forget how wrong these attacks are when they go to the polls in November.”
Updated at 19:10
