House Speaker Kevin McCarthy faces a challenge Friday morning as he tries to pass a must-pass defense policy bill with a majority of Democrats signaling their inability to support the version of the legislation crafted by conservative Republicans. The bill, known as the National Defense Authorization Act, sets the policy agenda and authorizes funding for the Department of Defense. However, Republicans have attached a series of amendments to the package that include conservative policies targeting abortion, transgender rights, and diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, among other social issues.
In response to these amendments, three House Democratic leaders released a scathing statement criticizing Republicans for pushing the defense bill to the right. Behind the scenes, Democrats are working to get their caucus to vote in lockstep against the plan on final passage. They are trying to limit defections, but it is expected that they may lose at most five to six of their members in the vote. If that happens, it would greatly increase the chances of Republicans muscling the bill through.
Without Democratic support, Republicans will need to gather nearly every member of the GOP conference in order to pass the bill. However, whatever passes the House would still need to be reconciled with the Democratic-controlled Senate’s version.
During the voting process, the House dealt with a slew of amendments, including one that eliminates diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and staff in the Department of Defense. This provision was adopted, much to the dismay of Democrats and as a victory for conservative hardliners. Another adopted amendment prohibits the secretary of defense from paying for or reimbursing expenses relating to abortion services. Many Democrats had already made it clear that including this amendment would make them unlikely to support the final passage of the defense bill.
The House also passed amendments that bar a health care program for service members from covering hormone treatments for transgender individuals and gender confirmation surgeries, and another amendment that blocks military schools from purchasing or having “pornographic and radical gender ideology books” in their libraries. However, an amendment banning the sale or transfer of cluster munitions to Ukraine failed to be adopted.
The vote on the final passage of the defense bill remains uncertain, with Democrats working to maintain party unity and Republicans aiming to gather enough support to pass the bill without Democratic votes. The outcome of this vote will have significant implications for the future of defense policy in the United States.
Original Story at www.cnn.com – 2023-07-14 10:26:00
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