On Friday’s broadcast of “CNN This Morning,” White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said “It’s very difficult to see” President Joe Biden signing the current National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed by the House due to its restrictions on Pentagon DEI programs and taxpayer funding of gender reassignment treatment and abortion.
Co-host Kate Bolduan asked, “Do you see the President signing a National Defense Authorization Act that limits transgender rights, that rips out diversity training, and does exactly the opposite of what you said the President supports when it comes to access to reproductive rights?”
Kirby answered, “It’s very difficult to see the President supporting legislation that would make it harder for Americans to serve in uniform and to not be able to do so with dignity, to not be able to do so with the proper care that they need, both medical and mental care. It’s very difficult to see that the President would ever, ever sign legislation that would put our troops at greater risk or put our readiness at risk.”
Bolduan then asked, “Does this put the administration in a tough position, though, if this is what is you’re looking at and Democrats are looking at in the House right now of having to explain why Democrats would vote against pay raises for the military and future investments in military infrastructure, which is a big part of what the NDAA is?”
Kirby responded, “The President’s comfortable and confident that he’s not going to sign legislation that’s…going to affect our military readiness in a negative way or affect our people. He’ll leave it to members of Congress to decide how they’re going to vote on this for themselves. But, obviously, he’s not going to support amendments, he’s not going to support legislation that’s going to put our readiness or our troops at any greater risk.”
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