Republicans pass an $886 billion “anti-woke” defense spending bill that restricts access to abortion for troops, funding for transgender health care, and diversity and inclusion initiatives
- The bill provides a 5.2 percent pay rise for military personnel and will fund the Pentagon through fiscal year 2024
- The GOP included amendments to restrict troops’ access to abortions
- Also, limit diversity and inclusion considerations in recruiting and funding transgender care
Republicans in Congress passed a defense bill that would limit access to abortion for troops and limit transgender care for military personnel.
The House of Representatives passed the bill by a vote of 219 to 210 to bring about a Senate showdown over amendments that would include prohibiting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) considerations in military recruitment.
The National Defense Authorization Act sets the Department of Defense’s policy for the year and is generally routine and widely supported by both parties.
Republicans have introduced several amendments on social issues as part of their attempt to end “woke” politics in the military.
Four Democrats voted in favor of the bill – Rep. Don Davis, NC, Jared Golden, Maine, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Washington, and Rep. Gabriel Vazquez, NM. Four Republicans — Ken Buck, Andy Biggs, Eli Crane and Thomas Massive — voted against.
An amendment by Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, prohibiting the Pentagon from funding travel expenses for abortion services has passed the House of Representatives. Ditto for a ban that would ban military health care from funding gender reassignment surgeries.
An amendment banning diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) considerations in military recruitment was passed – but an amendment banning all DEI training in the military failed.
Some far-right amendments – one by Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., to ban funding for Diversity, Justice and Inclusion (DEI) training, one by Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., to ban the shipment of cluster munitions to Ukraine and a Rep. Bob Good’s proposals to allow Pentagon entities to keep the names of Confederate generals were rejected.
Nonetheless, most right-wing members of the conference voted in favor of the bill. The Freedom Caucus and its supporters have been a wild card for Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s ballot for a law that needs to be passed.
The original, unchanged NDAA had exited the armed forces by a broad bipartisan majority: 58-1. Democrats criticized Republicans for politicizing the bill during the amendment process.
However, because the bill would provide a 5.2 percent pay rise for military personnel, four moderate Democrats voted in favor of it.
Republicans in Congress passed a defense bill that would limit access to abortion for troops and limit transgender care for military personnel
The spending bill is likely to be watered down in the Democrat-led Senate, allowing more Democrats in the House of Representatives — and fewer Republicans in the House — to vote for the final bill.
The Freedom Caucus and Gaetz, who “respects” but does not belong to the caucus, celebrated their strong influence on the amendments that made it into the bill.
“We have incrementally shifted the focus of the Republican Conference to the right,” Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., said in a news conference.
The bill includes standard military readiness funds and funds to help the Pentagon integrate more cybersecurity measures and AI initiatives — as well as a range of counter-China measures — to thwart its espionage activities and bolster Taiwan’s defense needs.