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House Republicans opt for partisan approach in teeing up anti-woke amendments to defense bill

House Republicans opt for partisan approach in teeing up anti-woke amendments to defense bill


This article was originally published on Washington Times - Politics. You can read the original article HERE

House Republicans are teeing up amendment votes to the annual defense bill on several culture war issues that, if adopted, will likely turn most Democrats against the measure.

The Republican amendments getting votes include one from Rep. Beth Van Duyne of Texas to repeal a 2022 Pentagon memorandum that authorized paid leave and reimbursement of travel costs for service members seeking abortions.

Another, from Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana, would ban military health plans from covering hormone treatments for transgender individuals or sex reassignment surgeries.



Other Republican amendments granted votes would ban drag shows, “radical gender ideology or pornographic material,” and promotion of critical race theory.

Those were among 350 amendments the House Rules Committee scheduled for floor votes, culled down from more than 1,300 amendments filed.

The House is set to vote Wednesday on the rule setting debate parameters for the defense bill and then begin debating and voting on the hundreds of amendments. Final passage is not expected until Friday.

The Pentagon policy bill, also known as the National Defense Authorization Act, would authorize $895 billion in defense spending for fiscal 2025 and includes policies to boost pay and quality of life for service members.

It advanced through the House Armed Services Committee in a 57-1 vote last month, but the floor vote is expected to break more along party lines if the culture war amendments, many of which would undo Biden administration policies or practices, are adopted.

House Republicans blocked nearly 85% of the amendments Democrats filed to the bill from getting votes while greenlighting “a bunch of poison pill amendments,” Rules Committee ranking member Jim McGovern complained during the panel’s consideration of the bill.

If adopted, those amendments would turn a bipartisan product into “a right-wing MAGA, backward thinking, messaging exercise,” the Massachusetts Democrat said.

“We all know none of these policies will make it into law with a Democratic-controlled Senate,” Mr. McGovern said.

But Rep. Michael Burgess, Texas Republican and Rules chairman, responded that the panel’s responsibility is “to advance the agenda of the majority” and that many of Democrats’ ideas were already included in the committee-approved version of the bill.

Mr. Burgess also noted that Republicans had to grant their members enough amendment votes to ensure they have the votes within their narrow majority to adopt the rule that sets those debate terms.

Far-right Republicans have at times blocked rules from advancing when they were dissatisfied with policy and amendment decisions, with more rules failing this Congress than in any previous one.

Four GOP amendments granted votes would target diversity, equity and inclusion positions in the Defense Department, with one mandating a hiring freeze and another eliminating existing roles.

Rep. Chip Roy, Texas Republican, is getting a vote on his amendment to prohibit funding authorized in the bill from being used to implement President Biden’s various climate-related executive orders.

Those amendments are all part of the GOP’s anti-woke agenda. But others relate to more traditional military issues, including several that were filed by Democrats or bipartisan groups of lawmakers. For example, there are several bipartisan amendments targeting China.

The House will be taking more votes related to the Israel-Hamas war that could prove divisive.

Those include amendments to declare that Israel is the United States’ greatest ally in the Middle East and demand the release of all hostages held by Hamas; to prohibit the Defense Department from contracting with entities boycotting Israel; and to block U.S. funds from being used for rebuilding efforts in Gaza.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia Republican, is getting a vote to block any funds in the bill from going to Ukraine, but members on both sides of the aisle have rejected similar proposals from her in the past and are expected to do so again.

The House consideration of the defense bill is so far mirroring the process last year in which the bill had broad bipartisan support out of committee but partisan amendments adopted on the floor turned off most Democratic support.

Last year’s version passed 219-210, with only four defections from each party that effectively canceled each other out.

The members to watch will be those that crossed the aisle and voted against the majority of their parties last year.

The four Democrats who voted for last year’s version were Reps. Don Davis of North Carolina, Jared Golden of Maine, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington and Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico.

Of the four Republicans who voted against the defense bill last year, only three remain in Congress: Reps. Andy Biggs and Eli Crane of Arizona and Thomas Massie of Kentucky. The fourth, Ken Buck of Colorado, has since resigned.

This article was originally published by Washington Times - Politics. We only curate news from sources that align with the core values of our intended conservative audience. If you like the news you read here we encourage you to utilize the original sources for even more great news and opinions you can trust!

Read Original Article HERE



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