The House on Friday passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a major defense policy bill that would restrict Pentagon policies on abortion access, medical care for transgender troops, and diversity schemes in the military.
House Republicans passed H.R. 2670 219-210, on mostly partisan lines. The bill authorizes $866 billion for national programs in the 2024 fiscal year.
The NDAA contains many conservative victories, although those victories may face an uphill struggle now that the bill moves to the Democrat-controlled Senate. If the Senate passes its own version of the bill, the two chambers will have to reconcile the differences through a conference committee.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) said on the House floor on Friday, “It will enhance the congressional oversight of the DOD. It will improve the quality of life for our service members and their families. And it will help build the ready, capable, and lethal fighting force we need to deter the Chinese Communist Party.”
House Republican Study Committee Chair Kevin Hern (R-OK) hailed the bill as the “first Republican-only NDAA since Eisenhower.”
House Republicans passed an amendment in the bill that would block the Pentagon’s policies to reimburse travel costs for armed service members seeking abortions.
Politico reported:
Republicans didn’t stop there. They muscled through proposals to end coverage of transition surgeries and hormone treatments for transgender troops, gut diversity and inclusion programs and limit the specific flags that can be flown at military installations — a move that would effectively ban flying the pride flag.
The Armed Services Committee already took aim at a variety of contentious issues in its June markup of the legislation. The panel approved GOP proposals to pave the way for the return of troops kicked out for refusing the Covid-19 vaccine, barring funding for drag shows on military bases and banning the promotion of critical race theory. The legislation still won the support of all but one committee Democrat.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-GA) amendment to bar the transfer of cluster munitions to Ukraine failed.
The House adopted Rep. Warren Davidson’s (R-OH) amendment to bar the Department of Defense from purchasing data for which they would otherwise have to seek a subpoena, warrant, or court order.
WATCH: GOP Rep. Warren Davidson Calls on House to Pass Amendment that Bans Pentagon from Circumventing Fourth Amendment
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) told Breitbart News about House Republicans’ efforts to enact conservative measures in the NDAA.
He explained, “Take out all the woke garbage that is in there. I mean, you’ve got a White House through executive orders and leadership in the military, that are you know, they’re spending money on CRT, they’re spending money on drag queen shows. I mean, they’re spending money on just outrageous things that have nothing to do with the defense of our nation.”
RELATED — WATCH: “Who Funded These?”: Gaetz Grills Pentagon Chief on Drag Queen Story Hours, Shows at Military Bases
C-SPANSean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3
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