House Republicans on Wednesday voted to pass a $147 billion Veteran Affairs spending bill despite a veto threat from the White House over a list of partisan riders in areas such as abortion, climate change, diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and gender care, reported The Hill.
Just four Democrats backed the legislation, HR 8580, which includes funding for veterans’ healthcare and other benefits, billions for about a dozen major military construction projects, military family housing, and boosting the military’s presence in the Indo-Pacific region.
"This bill is special because it takes care of our heroes, both during and after their service," Rep. John Carter, R-Texas, said in a statement issued Wednesday.
"By fully funding veterans' health care, investing in quality-of-life improvements for military families, and providing robust funding for the Indo-Pacific, this bill fulfills our promise to the men and women who have raised their right hand to defend the nation. I appreciate Chairman Cole's guidance and my colleagues’ support on the floor today."
The White House earlier this week threatened to veto the legislation over the GOP-backed riders.
The bill as written by House Republicans "includes numerous, partisan policy provisions with devastating consequences including harming access to reproductive health care, threatening the health and safety of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex (LGBTQI+) Americans, endangering marriage equality, hindering critical climate change initiatives, and preventing the administration from promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion," the White House budget office said in a statement Monday.
The Biden administration also opposes the proposed "realignment of military construction funding from priority projects to other projects."