The House on Thursday began a series of debates and votes on the first of a series of hot-button amendments to the annual defense policy bill, tackling everything from Ukraine funding to the Pentagon’s abortion policy to gender-affirming care.
After initially expecting the battle to stretch into next week, the House Rules Committee met overnight Wednesday to approve a rule allowing the chamber to start working through 80 amendments.
Many of the amendments could severely complicate House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) task of securing final passage of the $886 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
Among the amendments to make it into the bill include two from Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) to curtail federal funding for diversity initiatives.
One would prohibit such dollars from being used to establish the role of the Defense Department’s chief diversity officer, effectively axing the job. It passed 217-212.
The second, which passed passed 227-201, would prohibit DOD schools from promoting several race-based ideas, including that any race is inherently superior or inferior to any other race, color or national origin.
Ukraine was also a top issue, with five amendments shot down that would limit or roll back U.S. involvement in the country.
Republicans crossed the aisle to join Democrats in opposition to the initiatives, which included one from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) to strike $300 million in Ukraine funding. That failed 89-341, with 130 Republicans joining all Democrats in voting against the proposal.
Another proposal from Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) to prohibit security assistance for Ukraine similarly failed 70-358 on the House floor, with 149 Republicans opposing it.
Amendments that did pass, however, included two that seek to limit gender-affirming care. One offered by Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) would prohibit “TRICARE from covering and the Department of Defense from furnishing sex reassignment surgeries and gender hormone treatments for transgender individuals,” passed 222-211.
A second, offered by Rep. Ralph Norman (R-Okla.), would prohibit “provision of gender transition procedures, including surgery or medication, through the Exceptional Family Member Program,” and moved forward on a 222-210 vote.
Among the most controversial of the amendments was one that would prohibit the secretary of Defense from paying for or reimbursing expenses relating to abortion services, which passed 221-213.
The amendment would effectively roll back a recently enacted Pentagon policy that covers travel expenses for service members who must leave the state where they are stationed for abortion services and allows them to take time off to do so.
The issue has been a hot-button one, as Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) has blocked hundreds of military promotions over his opposition to the policy.
Democrats have indicated the amendment would be a red line for their votes, immediately putting the overall bill in greater jeopardy in the House.Read the live coverage at TheHill.com
