The three top Democrat leaders in the House are vowing to vote against the annual defense bill after a series of Republican-backed amendments.
“Extreme MAGA Republicans have chosen to hijack the historically bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act to continue attacking reproductive freedom and jamming their right-wing ideology down the throats of the American people,” said a statement released Thursday by House Democrat leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Democrat Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar of California.
“House Republicans have turned what should be a meaningful investment in our men and women in uniform into an extreme and reckless legislative joyride. The bill undermines a woman’s freedom to seek abortion care, targets the rights of LGBTQ+ service members and bans books that should otherwise be available to military families.
“House Democrats will always put people over politics to protect our national security. We will vote no on final passage of this bill.”
The statement was released after the House approved amendments including ones aimed at issues like abortion, transgender rights, and diversity and inclusion initiatives, The Hill noted.
One of the amendments added would reverse the Pentagon’s policy of reimbursing travel expenses for military members who get abortions.
Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee have also announced their plan to vote against the $886 billion act, the Washington Examiner noted. They claimed the new draft has “become an ode to bigotry and ignorance.”
“Attacks on reproductive rights, access to basic healthcare, and efforts to address our country’s history of racism and marginalization of huge swaths of our country will worsen our recruitment and retention crisis, make our military less capable, and do grievous harm to our national defense and national security,” the Armed Services Committee’s ranking member, Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., along with several other Democrat members, said in a statement.
In the event all the Democrats vote against the NDAA, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., could only afford to lose just a small number of Republicans and still get it passed.
A final vote is set in the House for Friday. But with Democrat leadership in the House declaring its opposition, it signals that a large portion of Democrats will likely oppose the legislation, The Hill pointed out.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said she will oppose the bill after her amendment to shave $300 million of Ukraine funding authorization from the bill failed.
In addition, Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., told The Hill that he was “leaning no” on his vote.
Reps. Bob Good, R-Va., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., said they were uncertain how they will vote.