Rep. Roy Slams Rep. Greene's Deal With GOP Leaders on NDAA

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, denounced House Republican leaders this week for what he called a routine Washington trade: promising a floor vote on a bill from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., targeting transgender medical care for minors in exchange for her help in advancing the annual defense policy bill.

Roy raised the criticism in a House Rules Committee hearing as lawmakers prepared floor action on Greene's bill, the Protect Children's Innocence Act, and as House leaders worked to line up votes for debate on the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA.

Greene previously acknowledged she negotiated with House leaders to change her position on the rule governing debate on the NDAA after being assured her bill would receive a vote.

The episode laid bare lingering tensions in the House Republican Conference over tactics, priorities, and the use of procedural leverage.

Roy, a frequent critic of leadership deals, argued the bargain reflected a broader pattern of leadership relying on last-minute arrangements to move must-pass legislation.

"Marjorie was given this vote this week to buy her vote on the National Defense Authorization Act. Everybody knows it," he said.

"It happened right there on the floor of the House. The majority leader said, 'Marjorie, would you like to have your bill brought up to the floor?'"

Roy added: "And guess what? Got a yes vote on the rule for the National Defense Authorization Act.

"And that's the kind of [expletive] that keeps happening around this institution all the time, including on our side of the aisle. And I'm sick of it."

Greene countered that she used her leverage to force action on an issue she said Republicans promised voters they would address.

Greene's bill would create federal criminal penalties for providing certain gender care to people under 18, including puberty blockers, hormones, and surgery.

"I refused to vote for the rule to the NDAA to force a vote on my bill, it's a shame that's what it takes," Greene wrote on social media. "Then voted NO on final passage of the NDAA bc of all the foreign war funding."

She added: "But Chip is now trying to pass his amendment, that actually weakens my bill and protects privately funded pediatric gender clinics, even though that amendment already failed on [the] Judiciary Committee. Why is Chip fighting so hard to continue the trans agenda on kids?"

The measure is unlikely to advance in the Senate, but House action would put lawmakers on record on an issue that has become a flash point in national and state politics.

More than half the states already restrict or ban some forms of gender care for minors, and court fights over those laws have continued to build.

Major U.S. medical groups and pediatric experts have argued that medical decisions for transgender youth should be made by families and clinicians, not lawmakers, and have warned that broad prohibitions can limit access to routine care and worsen mental health risks for vulnerable young people.

Greene's floor vote came as Congress moved the NDAA, an annual bill that authorizes defense policy and programs.

The Senate passed the fiscal 2026 NDAA and sent it to President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it, according to Reuters.

The legislation includes a 4% pay raise for troops and other policy provisions that drew bipartisan backing, while also reflecting Republican priorities on issues such as Pentagon programs and other culture-war disputes.

The Rules Committee process also highlighted policy disagreements in the GOP.

Roy sponsored a floor amendment aimed at narrowing when the federal government could prosecute cases under Greene's bill by limiting the circumstances that would trigger federal jurisdiction.

Greene criticized that effort, arguing it would weaken the measure.

With Greene planning to resign in early January, the vote also amounts to a final push for a signature initiative that House leaders have allowed to reach the floor only after a public dispute over the NDAA rule.