After a week of drama, backroom deals and heated debates, the annual Pentagon policy bill squeaked through the House, setting up another round of horse-trading with Senate Democrats to work out the legislation.
The $886 billion National Defense Authorization Act passed Friday in the GOP-run House in a 219-210 bipartisan vote.
The House’s version of the annual bill is largely informed by House Freedom Caucus amendments, which include lightning-rod additions that would halt the Pentagon’s abortion policy, gut diversity, equity and inclusion positions and training in the military, and stop military benefits from paying for transgender surgeries and treatments.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy struck deals that appeased conservative hardl-iners by including more amendments challenging liberal and “woke” Pentagon policies.
The House bill passed with nearly 300 add-ons out of the 1,500 amendments submitted by lawmakers.
Mr. McCarthy, California Republican, was largely able to keep his conference united in voting in favor of the bill with just four Republicans voting against the measure.
On the other side of the aisle, four House Democrats bucked their party leadership and supported the bill. Democrats who voted for it were Reps. Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, Jared Golden of Maine and Danny Davis of Illinois.
A major sticking point for Democrats was a provision by Rep. Ronny Jackson, Texas Republican, that would end the Defense Department policy of reimbursing military women for travel to get an abortion.
The Democrat-run Senate is expected to take up its version of the NDAA next week. The House bill will eventually have to be reconciled with the Senate version, where Democrats will try to take an ax to the Freedom Caucus’ measures.
Mr. Jackson’s amendment is expected to be a nonstarter for Senate Democrats.
“If the Republicans insist that it has to be in it, then we will not have an NDAA this year,” said Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee.
After the House passed the NDAA, Mr. McCarthy continued his wheeling and dealing by adding Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to the conference committee that will negotiate the final bill with the Senate.
Ms. Greene, Georgia Republican, said she would push to keep the hot-button amendments in the bill. She also said that her red line for the final bill is restricting funding for the war in Ukraine.
All of the amendments geared toward stripping funding for Ukraine, including Ms. Greene’s, were rejected by bipartisan landslide votes in the House. Ms. Greene’s add-on to halt the Biden administration’s plan to send cluster bomb munitions to Ukraine also failed.
“This war in Ukraine does not deter war. This war in Ukraine does not protect our national security. It actually puts us all at risk,” Ms Greene told reporters. “I fully believe that and that’s where I stand. That’s my red line on final passage.”
House Freedom Caucus member Chip Roy of Texas said he hoped GOP leaders in the House and Senate would stand united in NDAA conference negotiations.
“We don’t expect that our bill would pass the Senate, but what we expect is a negotiation that would yield a product that is a true reflection of the give and take, not just a capitulation, and that’s what matters,” Mr. Roy said.
Correction: An early version of this story misidentified the party affiliation of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia. She is a Republican.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
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