House narrowly passes defense bill with GOP hard-liner changes

The House on Friday passed the National Defense Authorization Act along party lines after several controversial amendments were added to the annual military spending and policy bill.

The final vote was 219-210, with all but four Democrats opposing the usually bipartisan, must-pass legislation in light of the changes made by Republicans.

Earlier Friday, members of the far-right House Freedom Caucus took a victory lap after pushing through amendments targeting abortion, transgender medical care and diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

Freedom Caucus chairman Scott Perry, R-Ariz., called the changes to the bill a "major win" for "the American people and for life" at a news conference alongside other GOP hardliners.

The $886 billion measure now heads to the Democratic-led Senate where even many Republicans do not support the House-passed changes.

Perry on Friday was asked about the bill's chances in the Senate and whether he is willing to go into the next fiscal year without an NDAA.

"We have shown the way ... what they're going to do with it is their business, and there's going to have to be a conference but you have to know that we are not going to relent, we're not going to back down," Perry told reporters.

On Thursday, the full House began work on 80 controversial amendments to NDAA. While hard-line members of the Republican Party backed these additions, they were rejected by the Democratic minority and McCarthy urged patience for his conference as his leadership team sought to satisfy the right flank without dooming the legislation in the divided chamber.

The amendments passed include banning the Pentagon from covering travel costs for out-of-state abortions and prohibiting medical procedures for openly transgender service members, as well as gutting the Pentagon's diversity, equity and inclusion offices.

During debate, Democrats slammed the GOP effort to use the NDAA to move their agenda forward.

"It's outrageous that a small minority of MAGA extremists is dictating how we'll proceed," Rep. Jim McGovern, the top Democrat on the Rules Committee, said.

However, the chamber overwhelmingly expressed support for continued U.S. assistance to Ukraine. The amendment to strike $300 million in funding proposed by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., failed with only 89 votes.

Five amendments related to the war in Ukraine, the majority of which concerned limiting aid, received voice votes Thursday afternoon. All were defeated, with bipartisan coalitions of more than 300 members voting against them in each vote.

The Freedom Caucus specifically touted the abortion amendment from GOP Rep. Ronny Jackson that bans the Pentagon from covering travel costs for service members to get out-of-state abortions.

Jackson said on Friday the "taxpayer money is provided to the [Department of Defense] and intended to provide for our national defense and our national security. It is not to promote and support the Biden administration's radical, immoral pro-abortion agenda."

Perry and other members also praised Sen. Tommy Tuberville's efforts in the Senate for his military blockade over the Department of Defense's abortion policy.

"I do not believe we would have achieved the Republican unity in the House, but for the courage of Senator Tuberville on the other side of the rotunda, and because of that courage, we were able to have Dr. Jackson's great amendment return us to our normal status," Rep. Matt Gaetz said.

During the weekly GOP conference meeting, Speaker Kevin McCarthy had warned against amendments that could complicate or slow down the NDAA.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said this week that Republican leaders and members have been encouraging the conference to push the NDAA forward.

"There's nothing more that we need to do as a nation other than to prepare and ready our defense forces, whether it's here or abroad. We need to do this, we need to do it this week, and I hope that we can get there," Mace said.

McCarthy said he hoped Democrats would still back the bill, while House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar said members would "vote their districts" and "their conscience. … the details of these policies matter."

Aguilar, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Democratic Whip Katherine Clark released a statement late Thursday announcing they would be voting no on the measure.

"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," the statement read.

Beyond the NDAA, the House also faces a looming government shutdown later this year. Hard-line Republicans have already demanded McCarthy agree to their limits on spending if he wants their votes on future appropriations bills.