The US Senate met on Thursday afternoon voted for adoption the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), after the House of Representatives passed the bill last week by a vote of 281-140. But its passage in the upper chamber didn’t come without grudging opposition from progressive Democrats… thanks to a well-timed transgender poison pill that House Republican leadership added:
Senators voted 85-14 to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), significantly more than the 60 required in the 100-member upper chamber. The bill advanced despite the introduction of a controversial measure that would ban gender-affirming care for transgender children of military members.
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Mandatory legislation is typically passed with broad bipartisan support, but that changed after the Speaker’s election Mike Johnson (R-La.) inserted last-minute language into the bill that would limit the employ of funds from TRICARE — the health care program for active-duty military members — for gender-affirming care for military children ages 18 and younger.
The Democrats who led the push to pressure their Senate colleagues to abandon the language on Monday were Senators Tammy Baldwin (WI), Elizabeth Warren (MA) and Ed Markey (MA). In the end, they only managed to get 20 senators to support their failed amendment effort.
Speaking on the Senate floor before Wednesday’s vote, Baldwin said the measure was a sign that lawmakers were “restricting the rights of our soldiers”:
It was broken because some Republicans decided it was more worthwhile to restrict the rights of our military members to score inexpensive political points.
The NDAA sits next to President Biden’s desk for his signature.
As my colleague Sister Toldjah wrote in an article behind schedule Tuesday night, it is useful to remember that Republicans will soon hold the reins of the Senate, the House and the White House. It is more than likely that we will continue to see mighty action in this direction in the coming weeks and months.
Read on the topic:
“Buy a Spine”: Sen. Kennedy Makes NCAA Prez Bend the Knee on an Important Point in a Heated Exchange Over Trans Athletes
