The annual Pentagon coverage invoice is again on observe after a House panel superior a slew of hot-button amendments, signaling that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy struck a cope with hardline conservatives.
The House Rules Committee labored into the wee hours of Thursday morning to hammer out a last spherical of amendments for the National Defense Authorization Act that units up a vote on the House ground.
Of the greater than 1,200 amendments left to parse by way of, the House panel superior 80. In all, 70 are from GOP members, 4 from Democrats, and the remaining are bipartisan.
Most of the 80 amendments have been drafted by the House Freedom Caucus, with some threatening to divide the Republican convention and guaranteeing a showdown with the Democrat-run Senate.
The amendments embody ending the Pentagon’s coverage of paying transportation for service members to get out-of-state abortions, halting protection cash going towards transgender-related medical companies, and gutting fairness, diversion and inclusivity coaching within the army.
The advance of the hot-button measures steered that Mr. McCarthy, California Republican, relented to the small band of hardliners who maintain sway due to the Republicans’ slim five-seat majority within the chamber.
Mr. McCarthy’s transfer to offer the ultra-conservative faction what they need is anticipated to bitter some Democrats from voting in favor of the must-pass NDAA, which was as soon as a bipartisan affair however has grown more and more partisan in recent times.
Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, the highest Democrat on the Rules Committee, accused the House Freedom Caucus of “extorting” Mr. McCarthy to push their priorities.
The House may vote as early as Thursday on the amendments.
One of probably the most contentious amendments headed for a ground vote is Texas GOP Rep. Ronny Jackson’s laws to halt the Pentagon from reimbursing army service members that journey for an abortion.
There can also be an modification by Rep. Matt Rosendale, Montana Republican, that might forestall army advantages from paying for gender reassignment surgical procedures and the following hormone remedy proposed by
Efforts to cease cash from going to Ukraine have been included, too. An modification by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene would slash $300 million in funding to the nation. Ms. Greene, Georgia Republican, stated that additional funding for Ukraine would result in extra warfighting.
The House panel additionally superior an modification that might forestall the Biden administration from sending cluster bomb munitions to Ukraine, however not the bipartisan add-on that had assist from Rep. Sara Jacobs, California Democrat, and Rep. Matt Gaetz, Florida Republican. Another measure to solely ban cluster bombs for Ukraine that was authored by Ms. Greene and cosponsored by Mr. Gaetz did advance to the House ground.
The new batch of add-ons follows 289 much less inflammatory amendments that the committee superior on Wednesday.
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