GOP aims to ban abortion, transgender care, pride flags at VA centers

Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee adopted a funding bill amendment Tuesday that would block federal money from going toward abortions or gender-affirming care at Veteran Affairs (VA) facilities, as well as banning Pride flags from being flown at the centers.

The amendments to the VA funding bill, which were considered together, were adopted by a 34-27 party-line vote within the committee.

Democrats on the committee accused those in the majority of disproportionately focusing on culture war issues instead of looking into other ways of improving care for veterans.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), ranking member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies, blasted her GOP colleagues for going after “nonissues.”

“VA supports all veterans who served, not just ones that Republicans are comfortable with. Not to mention, the Pride flag was created by a veteran, and VA has been allowing Pride flags to be flown for the month of June for the past three years. Why is this all of a sudden an issue now? This committee is wasting its time,” Wasserman Schultz said.

Last September, the VA issued a rule stating it would offer abortion counseling as well as abortions in certain cases to pregnant veterans and VA beneficiaries, drawing the ire of right-wing Congress members. An attempt by Senate GOP members to overturn this policy failed in April.

Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.) argued that the amendment only served to clarify previous legislation that explicitly states the VA cannot provide women’s health care services such as abortions.

The 1992 bill Aderholt referenced bars the VA from providing pregnancy care apart from pregnancies that have complications due to conditions related to service. However, the VA has since pivoted to provide pregnancy care services to beneficiaries.

The amendment barring federal funds from going toward abortions includes exceptions for incest, rape and complications that threaten the life of the mother.

Republican committee members said they were tamping down on “controversial policies” and keeping the VA from promoting “political messaging.”

“The language added in this provision would give confidence to the American people that individuals whose deeply held religious views support marriages between one man and one woman would not preclude this person from receiving fair treatment under the law,” Rep. Michael Guest (R-Miss.) said in support of the amendment.

Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), who is gay, lambasted the amendments and facetiously suggested they didn’t go far enough.

“Why don’t we ban Bud Light? Right? Because I believe drinking Bud Light makes you gay. Isn’t that the new thing that some folks are saying?” Pocan said, referencing the conservative outcry that arose when transgender social media star Dylan Mulvaney promoted the beer brand.

“We are putting Vladimir Putin’s playbook into a [military construction] bill. What we need to remember is there are 65,000 active duty people in the military right now who identify as LGBTQI+, a million veterans who have served our country who identify as that. So instead, we should be saying thank you, not get lost, hit the road,” Pocan said.