Top House Armed Services Dem worried about ‘extreme right-wing amendments’ filed to defense bill

The head Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee says he is worried about a flurry of “extreme right-wing amendments” attached to the House version of the annual defense bill as lawmakers prepare to debate and vote on the legislation this month.

Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) told The Washington Post he was concerned about GOP measures on “abortion, guns, the border, and social policy and equity issues.”

“We’ll just have to wait and see what amendments are made in order when the bill is debated on the House floor,” he said. “Depending on which amendments pass, I will make an evaluation on whether I support the final bill.”

Smith voted for the initial $874 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) bill, which passed out of the committee in late June on a 58-1 bipartisan vote, but only after hours of fighting over amendments on culture war issues.

Democrats and Republicans on the committee clashed for hours over amendments targeting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs at the Pentagon. Smith vowed after the vote to continue the fight on the House floor.

The amendments that passed include a ban on the Defense Department funding drag shows, the elimination of the Pentagon’s chief diversity officer and a prohibition on critical race theory at military academies. Critical race theory is an academic framework evaluating U.S. history through the lens of racism.

The House Appropriations Committee, which funds the priorities listed in the Armed Services defense bill, also included several amendments to limit the Pentagon’s use of clean energy and ban a new Defense Department policy reimbursing travel costs for servicemembers who travel to get an abortion, among a wide range of others that infuriated Democrats.

Lawmakers this week are returning for a three-week blitz before the August recess, with spending bills on the list of priorities. A vote on the NDAA is expected to come later this month.

Hundreds of amendments to the NDAA are being offered by the full House, some of which target cultural issues.

Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) introduced an amendment to ban funding for sustainable building materials, while Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) offered one to block the Defense Department from “discriminating against or granting preferential treatment” to a person or group based on race.

Several more amendments from other lawmakers take aim at diversity efforts, including the prohibition of funds for DEI programs.

The amendments are setting up another contentious showdown on culture wars. Democrats are likely to object to the provisions, while Republicans will try to muscle through the votes with control of the House.

Democrats are offering their counter to the GOP, including amendments that would reverse those amendments that passed the Armed Services Committee last month, such as the elimination of the chief diversity officer position.

The Democratic-controlled Senate passed its version of the NDAA last month with no major divisive amendments.