The chamber cleared the $883.7 billion measure — known as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) — in a largely party-line 217-199 vote. Six Democrats voted in favor of the measure, while three Republicans opposed it.
The House edition of the legislation is all but certain to languish in the Senate where Democrats, who hold the majority, abhor many of the amendments Republicans added, including those pertaining to abortion, transgender rights and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
The Senate Armed Services Committee this week held a markup for its version of the NDAA, the text of which is not expected to be released until July, a spokesperson for the panel told The Hill. Leaders in both chambers will then craft a compromise version of the legislation, which has been voted on and signed into law every year for the past six decades.
Top Republicans, nonetheless, touted their bill as a strong measure that will back U.S. troops, empower the National Guard to crack down on the southern border and provide American forces with innovative technologies.
At the top of the list of culture war amendments added to the House’s NDAA was a provision spearheaded by Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas) that seeks to block a Biden administration policy that reimburses service members for the travel costs incurred when receiving an abortion.
It zeroes in on the same Pentagon policy that Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) targeted through his months-long blockade on military promotions last year.
Ahead of Thursday’s votes, Democrats warned GOP leaders against loading the bill with so-called poison pills — Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.), a Navy veteran, argued that the conservative amendments “cheapen” the defense bill.
The GOP strategy of embracing culture war issues in the NDAA is not new. Then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) did the same last year, relying on a united GOP as almost all Democrats opposed the bill after Republicans loaded it with similar amendments attacking Pentagon policies on abortion access, medical care for transgender service members, and DEI initiatives.
Similar to last year, Republican leaders this time around had little room for error when it came to the final vote on the NDAA. Republicans have a razor-thin majority in the House, allowing them to lose just two GOP votes on any party-line measures, assuming all lawmakers are present.
The House-passed NDAA abides by the spending caps laid out in last year’s debt limit agreement, imposing a 1 percent increase over the fiscal 2024 defense policy bill. The legislation, however, reshuffles billions of dollars proposed by the Pentagon, increasing funds for submarines, paring down money for fighter jets and delaying the retirement of dozens of aircraft.
The bill also has a provision that would rehire service members kicked out for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.
In addition, the House NDAA contains widely supported quality of life initiatives for service members, such as a roughly 20 percent pay boost for junior enlisted members and increases to housing allowances.
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
