The House on Friday passed its version 2024 National Defense Authorization Act in a vote of 219-210, which largely fell along partisan lines due to amendments added by Republicans relating to social policies in the military.
The Republican amendments covered abortion, transgender surgery, and diversity initiatives. Only four Democrats voted in favor of the bill, and four Republicans voted against it. The four Republicans who opposed the NDAA are Reps. Thomas Massie (KY), Eli Crane (AZ), Andy Biggs (AZ), and Ken Buck (CO).
The Senate still needs to pass its version of the NDAA, then the two chambers will negotiate the final version that will go to President Biden’s desk. The Republican amendments packed into the House version will set up a fight between the two chambers as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and other Democrats will reject them.
The 2024 NDAA is for a record $886 billion, the same amount President Biden requested. The debt ceiling deal reached between House Republicans in the White House did not limit military spending and put no caps on emergency supplemental funds, which is how the US has been spending on the war in Ukraine.
As the House was debating the NDAA, several amendments introduced by Republicans looking to rein in US support for Ukraine were voted down. One amendment sponsored by Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH) would have required the Biden administration to develop a strategy for the war in Ukraine. It was rejected in a vote of 129-301, with only Republicans supporting it.
One amendment introduced by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene would have cut $300 million in military aid for Ukraine that’s packed into the NDAA, but it failed in a vote of 89-341. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) put forward an amendment to cut off all military assistance for Ukraine, which failed in a vote of 70-358. Only Republicans supported the two amendments.
Greene sponsored another amendment that would have prohibited the transfer of cluster munitions to Ukraine, although US cluster bombs have already arrived in the country. The effort failed in a vote of 147-276. It received support from 98 Republicans and 49 Democrats.
What astounds me on this is what they tell us about their amendments in a “DEFENSE” act. That is to say, these amendments are to cover “abortion, transgender surgery, and diversity initiatives.” I’m not sure how these tie in to defense, or how they might assist in war-strategy, or on the battlefield. Well, this is NDAA 2.0. Question it and you’re likely accused of wrongthink.
Is there anything anywhere that doesn’t have anything to do with LGBTXYZ and its first cousin, diversity? Ha, never let a good defense act go to waste. Anyhow, what they pretend to argue or put on paper matters now. They march forward into any strangeness, any atrocity they want. Tyranny is so diverse.
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PS: $886 BILLION is a lot of money. Could likely heal a suffering planet. But suffering is too important to those who wield the power. Makes the masses more manageable for them. But it also makes much of the masses more MEAN. Oh they are pushin’ it. They know not who they push.
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