House Republicans Pass Military, Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill

House Republicans passed legislation on Thursday that would fund the military and Veterans Affairs (VA) as part of a strategy to put pressure on President Joe Biden to negotiate a future spending bill.

The House passed H.R. 4366 with strong Republican support and Democrat opposition.

During a press conference after the vote, Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) bashed the D.C. press for downplaying the senators’ ability to pass legislation, citing victories such as the GOP debt ceiling bill, the Limit, Save, Grow Act, and other bills.

The legislation, according to a press release from Rep. Ben Cline’s (R-VA) office, would boost veterans’ care funding and restrict the promotion of critical race theory (CRT):

• Honors our commitment to Veterans by:
  • Fully funding Veterans’ health care programs; and
  • Fully funding Veterans’ benefits and VA programs, including the electronic health record modernization initiative.
• Supports a strong national security by:
  • Providing nearly $800 million above the President’s Budget Request for military construction, focusing investments in the Pacific theater, barracks, and other quality-of-life projects; and
  • Maintaining two provisions prohibiting the closure or realignment of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

• Focuses the Executive Branch on its core responsibilities by:
  • Including new provisions prohibiting funds to lobby Congress, promote or advance critical race theory, and carry out divisive Executive Orders.

“This strong legislation prioritizes programs for those most important: our Veterans and our brave service members. Today’s vote makes clear that House Republicans stand with our Nation’s heroes who have sacrificed so much to defend our freedoms and protect our homeland,” Cline said in a statement after the vote.

Passing the appropriations bill is part of a larger strategy to have Biden and the Democrat-controlled Senate abide by Republican spending cuts and adopt more conservative policies.

“We’re going to pass a good Republican bill out of the House and force the Senate and the White House to accept it,” Rep. Bob Good (R-VA) said this week.