The House Rules Committee has advanced less than a quarter of the 1,500 proposed amendments to the annual Pentagon policy bill, moving the less partisan add-ons to a floor vote before tackling hot-button issues such as banning drag shows on military bases.
The GOP-led House panel worked deep into the evening Tuesday following hours of testimony on the massive pile of amendments to the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act. Fewer than 300 amendments were sent to the House floor for debate Wednesday and an expected vote on Thursday.
The greenlit amendments were relatively tame compared to the proposals that were sidelined for another day. Those included the declassification of some Pentagon UFO documents, beefing up disruption of fentanyl trafficking across the U.S.-Mexico border, and a proposal to prevent disruption of care for veterans.
The House Rules Committee is expected to meet again this week to work out the remaining add-ons.
House Rules Chair Rep. Tom Cole, Oklahoma Republican, said he did not know if the committee would wrap up a second round of amendment hearings on Wednesday.
“We didn’t get this done, so I think we’re going to keep working on it until we do get it done,” Mr. Cole told reporters at the Capitol.
Contention has brewed within the House Republican Conference over some amendments from ultra-conservative lawmakers. The leadership is working to strike deals with lawmakers who are pushing to slash funding for the Pentagon’s abortion policy, Ukraine funding and proposals going after the Pentagon’s woke personnel policies.
Mr. Cole said that he would expect the abortion amendment, which would prevent the Pentagon from reimbursing service members that travel to get an abortion, to make it through.
The leadership’s ongoing negotiations include conversations with House Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Scott Perry, Pennsylvania Republican.
“We are talking to all of our members,” said House Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer, Minnesota Republican. “I’m confident that the rule will go forward.”
Despite the talks, some conservatives are threatening to vote “no” on the measure.
“NDAA isn’t ready for prime time. Count me as a NO on any rule vote to bring it to the floor as is,” said Rep. Tony Gonzales, Texas Republican.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, Florida Republican, said he intended to vote in favor of the measure. Many of his amendments, including add-ons that would end marijuana testing for service members and halt the Biden administration from sending cluster bomb munitions to Ukraine, were not part of the first batch of amendments to make their way to the House floor.
Mr. Gaetz rejected the notion that House Republicans were using the NDAA as a vehicle to fight a culture war inside the Pentagon.
“Every majority uses every piece of legislation to try to achieve their goals,” Mr. Gaetz said. “The NDAA is no different.”
Some House Republicans want to halt funding for Ukraine until an endgame plan is developed by the Biden administration. None of those amendments were advanced Tuesday night.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia Republican, proposed a handful of amendments that would slash $300 million in funding for Ukraine and prohibit any more funding until a diplomatic solution is found.
Ms. Greene told reporters that the Department of Defense’s mission is to deter war, but that the proposed funding for Ukraine would do the opposite. Like other GOP members, she pushed for a separate bill that would address Ukraine funding.
“Our National Defense Authorization Act is funding $300 million to Ukraine, which is not deterring war, it’s actually furthering war,” Ms. Greene said. “And that doesn’t do anything for our nation’s security when we are funding and pushing a war with a nuclear power.”
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washigtontimes.com.
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