House passes pivotal defense bill – with culture war amendments targeting abortion, climate policies

WASHINGTON – The GOP-controlled House of Representatives on Friday passed an annual defense policy bill, but the legislation has next to zero chance of becoming law as it stands after Republicans added a series of conservative priorities targeting Pentagon abortion policy, climate change initiatives and more.

The lower chamber cleared the National Defense Authorization Act by a mostly party-line vote of 217-199, authorizing over $895 billion in funding to the Department of Defense. Democrats this week have protested that Republicans packed the must-pass bill – a traditionally bipartisan endeavor – with culture war provisions dubbed “poison pills.”

One of the most high-profile and divisive amendments Republicans added to the legislation was one from Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, which would reel back a 2022 rule from the Pentagon that reimburses out-of-state travel for service members seeking abortions.

Other provisions would target the Biden administration’s climate initiatives, along with diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the federal government.

These efforts and other amendments are dead-on-arrival in the Democratic-controlled Senate, which is working on its own version of the mandatory defense bill that's expected to include fewer partisan priorities.

Nevertheless, parts of the House's push received widespread support. For example, the bill includes a nearly 20% pay raise for junior enlisted troops and several investments aimed at improving resources for service members, including funding for military infrastructure

“This is going to support our great service members. It will do a number of things. It will ensure men and women in uniform will enjoy a high quality of life,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters this week, but in what appeared to be a nod to some of the conservative adds, Johnson said the bill “will restore the focus of our military on lethality.”

Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday praised his GOP counterpart, Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., for working in a bipartisan manner. Still, Smith took aim at Republicans for quickly tacking on provisions that made the bill a nonstarter for Democrats.

“All of these amendments … once again turn this bill into more of a monument to bigotry than the bipartisan cooperation we need to support the men and women who serve in our military,” Smith said on Tuesday.

Not all of the amendments Republicans pushed for were related to culture wars. Reps. Brian Mast of Florida and Jodey Arrington of Texas led an amendment that prohibits any funding for the Department of Defense to use for planes to transport Palestinian refugees into the U.S.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: House passes pivotal defense bill with abortion, climate amendments