What Abortion And Drag Shows Have To Do With Defense Funding

Topline

The House Freedom Caucus is threatening to block a key military defense spending bill over a string of culture war issues—marking House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) latest challenge to wrangle the far-right in order to pass consequential legislation.

The Pentagon is seen from a flight taking off from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on … [+] November 29, 2022 in Arlington, Virginia. The Pentagon is the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense and the world’s largest office building. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

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Key Facts

The House is set to take up the $886 billion National Defense Authorization Act spending package in the Rules Committee on Tuesday and it could come to the floor for a vote as early as Friday.

But the legislation could be stalled by a string of controversial right-wing amendments that would block funding for members of the military seeking to travel out-of-state for abortions, along with diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the military, gender-transition health care for military members and ban certain books and drag shows on military bases.

Democrats, and some moderate Republicans, are unlikely to support the legislation if the amendments are approved, Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), the ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee, told Politico Playbook.

If they’re omitted, McCarthy risks angering House Freedom Caucus members who have a penchant for retaliating by going against initiatives backed by the majority of the Republican conference, which has a slim four-seat majority in the House, meaning the GOP can’t afford to lose support of the 40-some Freedom Caucus members who often vote as a bloc.

The bill may not even make its way out of the House Rules Committee, which is made up of four Democrats and nine Republicans, three of whom are House Freedom Caucus members—two of them, Reps. Chip Roy (Texas) and Ralph Norman (S.C.)—told CNN they will vote against advancing the legislation without the amendments.

The legislation also includes a 5.2% pay increase for military members and $300 million in additional funding for Ukraine.

Key Background

The House Armed Services Committee passed a version of the bill with broad bipartisan support, 58-1, despite the inclusion of some of the controversial amendments, including a ban on drag shows on military bases and the reinstatement of unvaccinated troops, CNN reported. McCarthy, whose support is crucial to advancing any legislation in the House, faces a predicament as House Freedom Caucus members are still angry over a deal to raise the debt ceiling, which passed with the support of more Democrats than it did Republicans early last month. Including controversial amendments could also threaten the bill’s passage in the Democratic-controlled Senate and President Joe Biden’s signature.

Big Number

1,502. That’s the total number of amendments proposed to the National Defense Authorization Act, a record for the bill that’s routinely been passed by Congress on a bipartisan basis every year since 1960.

Chief Critic

The New Democrat Coalition of 98 members urged McCarthy to oppose the right-wing amendments in a letter Tuesday, warning that he “must choose between caving to the most extreme elements of his party that seek to compromise our national defense or working with sensible lawmakers to support all of our troops.” Some Republicans also joined Democrats in criticizing their colleagues who are threatening to block the legislation. “We need to get the NDAA passed,” Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.), told reporters on Monday. “It’s not something to ever put at risk.”

Tangent

Among the other amendments up for consideration is one that would block the transfer of cluster munitions to Ukraine and any other country. The legislation is co-sponsored by both progressives and members of the far-right, including Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.). The right-wing members who are against the transfer are broadly opposed to additional military aid to Ukraine, while the progressives backing the bill cite international objections, including from the United Kingdom and Spain, to the use of cluster munitions.