In Defense of Our Nation’s Defenders

July 20, 2023 | Washington, D.C.

by Eagle Forum Executive Director, Tabitha Walter

U.S. House Passes Defense Bill to Undo Wokeism in the Military

Last week, House Republicans began the process to eliminate many of the woke policies the Left has been forcing on the U.S. military for years. Historically, the reauthorization of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) has been bipartisan, but the previous Democrat majority attempted to insert their agenda with language to provide on-demand abortions, taxpayer funded transition surgeries for transgenders, vaccine mandates, and drafting our daughters. This year, House conservatives are defending the armed services by making it clear our military is not to be used for radical social experimentation.

In previous years, Members have been forced to vote on large, “must-pass” bills such as the NDAA without being given time to read them or offer amendments. During the fight over the Speakership at the beginning of this Congress, conservative Representatives insisted on a promise that they would not only be provided time to read the bills but also be allowed to offer amendments. The Republican leadership kept their promise which resulted in nearly 1,400 amendments being introduced for the NDAA. Not every amendment made it to the floor for a vote, but this process provided all House members (Republican AND Democrat) the opportunity to voice concerns.

Eagle Forum supported several amendments that protect life, oppose gender ideology, and remove COVID vaccine mandates. The top priority was Representative Ronny Jackson’s (R-TX) amendment to prohibit the Department of Defense from funding any expenses relating to abortion. Earlier this year, the Biden Administration, in the wake of the Dobbs decision, issued a memorandum to allow the military to fund travel expenses and paid leave for abortions even though for over 40 years the military has been prevented by law from using taxpayer money to fund abortion. Rep. Jackson’s amendment bans paying for travel to another state that allows abortion or receiving abortion-inducing drugs through the mail. The amendment passed by a 221-213 vote with Democrat Rep. Henry Cuellar (TX) voting in favor. Additionally, Rep. Matt Rosendale’s (R-MO) amendment to prohibit taxpayer-funded transgender surgeries passed 222-211.

Several other essential amendments to the NDAA passed the House. The Center for Military Readiness compiled a list of the policies that made it into the bill here. The House’s NDAA (H.R. 2670) ultimately passed by a 219-210 vote with four Republicans opposing and four Democrats voting in favor.  Because the amended bill prevents funding of abortion expenses, gender-mutilating procedures, CRT, and DEI measures, Eagle Forum will include the vote on our Congressional Scorecard.

The Senate’s NDAA (S. 2226) is quite different. While the bill is mostly “clean” meaning it simply continues funding of the military without any extra conservative or liberal initiatives, it will undergo an amendment process as well.

A topic that is gaining traction in the Senate is the use of marijuana in the armed forces. One amendment to the NDAA offered by Sen. Brian Shatz (D-HI) would allow veterans to use medical marijuana in states where it is legal. Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facilities have been unable to dispense drugs containing cannabis because it is still a Schedule I drug on a federal level. Despite numerous attempts to legalize marijuana in various ways, fortunately, Democrats have been unsuccessful for years.

Another amendment offered by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) would weaken federal clearance eligibility by ensuring that officials do not use past marijuana use as a determining factor for an individual obtaining access to sensitive information. This policy is contradictory to the actions taken by President Joe Biden in 2021 when he fired five staffers for prior marijuana use.

For the first time in two years, neither the House nor Senate versions of NDAA contain a provision to draft women! In previous years, a handful of Senate Republicans have supported such a policy but the language was always stripped out in negotiations between the House and Senate. All your calls and emails have made a difference and there was no attempt to resurrect this unpopular idea this year.

Regardless of what is passed by the House and Senate, the differences will need to be worked out in conference negotiations. No provision is completely safe, and the final version could fail to get enough votes to pass if key amendments are stripped out. However, some members are positive. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) expressed his confidence that the NDAA will pass by bipartisan votes and that the pro-life measures will remain in the bill. He stated:

“At the end of the day, this always ends up as a bipartisan bill. But there were some certain policies, like for instance, the Hyde Amendment since 1980 not to fund taxpayer abortions, our members felt was very important to put in there, I think that’s one that will survive.”

Eagle Forum praised the passage of the House NDAA and is keeping an eye on the Senate process.