House Republicans joined forces Friday to narrowly pass an $895 billion defense policy bill that would restrict access to abortion and medical care for transgender people in the military and eliminate all diversity-focused positions and offices at the Pentagon , equity and inclusion.
The 217-199 vote, which was largely along party lines, reflected a dramatic shift in support for the annual National Defense Authorization Act, normally an overwhelmingly majority bill, as it passed a House committee last month with broad support of both parties was passed. Democrats turned against the bill in droves after Republicans insisted for the second year in a row that it would be loaded with conservative policies.
The bill would provide a 19.5 percent pay raise for troops as well as a number of quality of life improvements, including more generous housing and meal subsidies for military families and improvements to military housing. It would also reduce the number of F-35 fighter jets the Pentagon could buy next year from 68 to 58, after years of frustrating lawmakers with production delays from the manufacturer. And it would increase funding for drone programs and the development of artificial intelligence technology as part of a strategy to deter Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific.
“The threats facing our nation are more complex and challenging than anything we have encountered before,” Rep. Mike D. Rogers, Republican of Alabama and chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement following the passage of the draft law. “Our adversaries are deterred only by strength,” he added, and the House bill “ensures that our military will continue to project that strength.”
The near-unanimous support among Republicans was a relief for Speaker Mike Johnson, who bowed to pressure from his right flank and allowed his members to introduce a series of provisions addressing culture war issues important to the party’s conservative base. Ultra-conservative Republicans had threatened to block the measure if they didn’t get a vote on their priorities, but the result was a series of tough votes for more mainstream Republican lawmakers.
One such proposal, proposed by Texas Rep. Beth Van Duyne and approved Thursday, would repeal the Pentagon’s policy of offering time off and travel reimbursement to military members who travel out of state to have an abortion.
The Defense Department created the policy after the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade overturned the precedent that enshrined abortion rights nationwide, prompting some states to ban and restrict the procedure. This resulted in unequal access to abortion for Americans, including military personnel housed on bases across the country, who sometimes have little control over where they are housed.
“This human rights violation should not be paid for or encouraged by the U.S. government,” Ms. Van Duyne said Thursday.
Democrats called the measure unacceptable, citing previous failed attempts by Republicans in the House and Senate to overturn Pentagon policy. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, a Pennsylvania Democrat and an Air Force veteran, was particularly outraged by the measure’s short notice.
“I’m tired of members who have never served telling service members – the same service members for whom they are proud to publicly express their supposed support – that they don’t deserve the financial or other freedom that medical “To receive the care they need, they and their family members deserve and need when they need it,” she said Thursday.
Along with the abortion policy change, House Republicans introduced and passed a series of amendments that would ban drag shows on military bases, eliminate and ban any diversity, equity and inclusion programs or positions within the Pentagon, and ban the uniformed services health program would cover related medical care for transgender people.
Additionally, a measure in the House bill aims to end race-conscious college admissions policies for the five U.S. military academies after the Supreme Court allowed an exception for them when it struck down affirmative action last year.
The addition of the far-right political stalwarts to the House of Representatives all but guarantees a fight over the defense measure that could delay its entry into force, as was the case last year. The Democratic-led Senate, which typically crafts a bipartisan bill, will almost certainly overlook the measures, and they are unlikely to survive a conference between the two chambers to reconcile competing versions of the legislation. Even if this were the case, it would be highly unlikely that President Biden would sign it into law.
For more than six decades, Congress has succeeded in passing the military bill, giving lawmakers of both parties the opportunity to demonstrate their support for national security and project military strength on the world stage.
When the bill was presented to committee, both Republicans and Democrats praised it, particularly pointing to improvements in the quality of life for troops.
During site visits to military barracks last year, federal regulators said some living conditions posed health and safety risks for military personnel. One report found sewage overflowing in shared bathrooms and several reports of mold. The bill would provide over $800 million to improve some of these housing complexes.
“No military member should have to live in deplorable conditions,” Rogers said.
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2024-06-15 02:50:56
www.nytimes.com
