by Ben Whedon
The House on Friday approved an $883.7 billion defense spending bill that includes provisions addressing a number of provisions addressing social issues such as abortion, LGBT matters, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices.
The inclusion of such provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is sure to set up a standoff with Senate Democrats, which have not yet released the upper chamber’s version of the plan, according to The Hill.
The measure passed in a 217-199 vote, with six Democrats backing it and three Republicans against.
Among the more contentious points in the bill were provisions that would block funding for certain transgender treatments, defund and/or freeze DEI programs in the military, and block funding for military servicemembers to travel out of state to obtain an abortion.
The NDAA is one of the 12 annual appropriations bills that fund key provisions in the government, in this case the Department of Defense.
Republican lawmakers have long highlighted concerns about the military’s drift into culture war and social issues such as DEI, LGBT practices, and abortion under the Biden administration. Several have insisted that the Pentagon’s prioritization of such initiatives could come at the expense of its primary mission.
“The Biden Administration has made implementing woke Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives a more important mission than protecting Americans,” Virginia GOP Rep. Bob Good said in April. “Our military is strongest when it is focused on training patriotic men and women to become the most lethal fighting force in the world.”
– – –
Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.
The post House Passes $883 Billion Defense Spending Bill with Abortion, LGBT Provisions first appeared on The Georgia Star News.
Click this link for the original source of this article.
Author: Just the News
This content is courtesy of, and owned and copyrighted by, https://georgiastarnews.com and its author. This content is made available by use of the public RSS feed offered by the host site and is used for educational purposes only. If you are the author or represent the host site and would like this content removed now and in the future, please contact USSANews.com using the email address in the Contact page found in the website menu.