House Republicans have a choice to make as they take up the annual defense policy bill this week: block amendments that could undermine bipartisan support for the legislation or allow votes on topics that could transform the measure into a partisan messaging bill.
The Pentagon policy bill, also known as the National Defense Authorization Act, would authorize $895 billion in defense spending for fiscal 2025 and includes policies to boost pay and quality of life for service members. It advanced through the House Armed Services Committee in a 57-1 vote last month.
To retain Democrats’ support on the floor, Republicans would have to resist the urge to pass a bevy of culture-war amendments dipping into topics such as abortion, transgender health care and diversity and climate initiatives. When considering the defense bill last year, House Republicans passed amendments on those topics and transformed a bipartisan committee product into a partisan bill on the floor.
Democrats are warning Republicans to avoid the partisan tactics this year.
“Our concern is that the extreme Republicans may try to jam their reckless right-wing ideology down the throats of the American people, criminalize abortion care or restrict the ability of women in uniform to make their own reproductive health care decisions,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York Democrat, told reporters last week. “If they go down that road again, that would be a futile exercise when it comes to actually a legislative result.”
Many Republicans say they don’t need bipartisan support and that advancing a more conservative measure through the House would help increase their leverage in negotiations with the Senate on a final product.
“I believe, fundamentally, your starting place should always be what did we say we would do as Republicans,” said Rep. Chip Roy, Texas Republican. “Do that, send that message to American people and then decide when push comes to shove what it is you feel like you have to get done. But if all you ever do is go tell Democrats, ’Oh, don’t worry — wink, wink — we’re going to strike a deal with you,’ you’re literally never going to have any leverage to get anything done.”
The House Rules Committee will meet Tuesday to set floor debate parameters for the defense bill, including which of the 1,357 amendments that members filed will get votes.
Mr. Roy, who serves on the Rules Committee, is optimistic that many amendments of importance to conservatives will be granted floor votes, similar to last year’s process.
Amendments that Republicans have filed that could change the bipartisan nature of the bill if adopted include proposals to:
- Prohibit funding for abortions, filed by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.
- Repeal a 2022 Pentagon memorandum that authorized paid leave and reimbursement of travel costs for service members seeking abortions, filed by Rep. Beth Van Duyne of Texas.
- Ban military health plans from covering hormone treatments for transgender individuals or sex reassignment surgeries, filed by Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana.
- Reinstate former President Donald Trump’s executive order banning transgender individuals from serving in the military, with limited exceptions, filed by Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado.
- Abolish the Defense Department Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, versions filed by multiple members.
- Block funding for diversity, equity and inclusion policies, filed by Rep. Eric Burlison of Missouri.
- Prohibit funding authorized in the bill from being used to implement President Biden’s various climate-related executive orders, filed by Mr. Roy.
Republicans’ decision-making on amendments will be influenced by what can pass with their narrow majority. The GOP can’t afford more than two defections on party-line votes.
Two is the exact number of defections Republicans had last year to repeal the Pentagon’s abortion policy memo. They had only one defection on Mr. Rosendale’s same amendment prohibiting coverage of transgender health care. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas was the only Democrat to vote for those amendments last year.
After the House adopted those and other GOP-favored amendments, the defense bill passed on a 219-210 mostly partisan vote, with only four defections from each party that effectively canceled each other out.
This year’s bill as reported out of committee includes several policies designed to improve quality of life for service members, including a 19.5% pay raise for junior service members and a 4.5% increase for others. The measure would also boost the housing allowance to cover the average local area rental rate, fund improvements to military housing units, and expand access to medical and child care.
“The most important investment we can make is in the foundation of our military: our people,” House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, Alabama Republican, said in a statement after the committee markup. “No service member should have to worry about making ends meet, putting food on the table or having safe housing.”
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