House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise on Monday blamed President Biden for the brewing fight over the annual Pentagon policy bill, saying he had turned the U.S. military into a proving ground for a left-wing social agenda.
Mr. Scalise said the administration spent billions of taxpayer dollars on green energy policies and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at the Pentagon “instead of lethality.”
“House Republicans are bringing forward a plan that shifts $39 billion from inefficient and woke programs, obsolete weapons systems, and unnecessary and harmful Pentagon bureaucracy to essential capabilities we need to defend our nation,” said Mr. Scalise, Louisiana Republican.
He said the House version of the National Defense Authorization Act would root out woke policies and help refocus the military on its core mission.
It is setting up a fight with Mr. Biden and his Senate Democrats that threatens to derail the annual NDAA for the first time in 62 years.
The House’s version of the bill passed out of the Armed Services Committee last month loaded with GOP amendments such as a prohibition on drag shows on military bases, a ban on teaching critical race theory at military academies and the elimination of funding for a Pentagon chief diversity officer.
There are more than 1,500 amendments proposed for the annual authorization package.
The House Rules Committee on Tuesday will take a swing at narrowing down the amendments for the $886 billion defense bill before sending it to the House floor for consideration.
There is an element of urgency in working to advance the defense bill. Congress has just three weeks before its August recess and then a sprint to the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.
Republicans hope to tack more onto the NDAA, including prohibiting travel reimbursements tied to the Pentagon’s abortion policy and slashing funding for gender transition surgeries.
The NDAA may have passed out of committee with a landslide of bipartisan support, but that does not mean that the measure won’t meet resistance on the floor.
There are also several amendments from conservative lawmakers that would slash funding and support for Ukraine. Some would halt aid altogether until Mr. Biden formulates an end-game strategy for the conflict.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washigtontimes.com.
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