House Republicans narrowly approved a controversial amendment to the annual defense bill that would overturn the Pentagon’s abortion policy, throwing the must-pass legislation into uncertainty ahead of its looming expiration deadline.
The House voted 221-213 on Thursday to include the measure in the National Defense Authorization Act, an annual legislative package that outlines the policy agenda and budget for the Department of Defense. The amendment is likely to make it far more difficult for the House to pass the full defense package, especially after Democratic leadership decried the proposal earlier this week as a dealbreaker.
Only one Democrat voted in favor of the amendment: Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), who has repeatedly voted against abortion rights in the past.
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“There’s a number of poison pill policy riders that would be deeply troubling to the House Democratic Caucus,” Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-CA) said on Tuesday. “I think one deeply problematic [rider] for the House Democratic Caucus would be the Tommy Tuberville-type of language restricting women from receiving leave in order to receive healthcare. That one is deeply problematic, and if it was included, I think it would be as close to a red line as I think we're willing to discuss.”
Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) echoed similar sentiments, telling reporters on Thursday the party would vote against the NDAA if the abortion amendment was included.
The amendment specifically targets a Pentagon policy that allows service members to take up to three weeks of leave to travel out of state to receive an abortion and other “noncovered reproductive healthcare services.” The policy also states the DOD will reimburse members for any expenses related to that travel.
Losing Democratic support could prove to be disastrous for GOP leadership, who will need the additional votes to make up for any Republican holdouts. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy can only afford to lose four votes if all Democrats oppose the measure — and it’s not yet clear whether the GOP leader has met that threshold after a number of other GOP-led amendments failed to make their way into the full NDAA.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) accused Republicans of jeopardizing the must-pass legislation by allowing the amendment votes, seeking to place the blame squarely on the GOP’s shoulders.
Meanwhile, McCarthy has accused Democrats of threatening the NDAA’s passage by refusing to allow lawmakers a say in the defense measure.
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“Each member is lent their voice from all their constituents. They actually have a say if it can go up or down,” McCarthy said ahead of votes on Thursday. “But it just shows that [Democrats] want to control instead of opening this House up to ideas and let the best idea win.”
The House will continue voting on amendments to include in the NDAA, with GOP leaders hoping to hold a vote on the full measure sometime Friday. The legislation would then be sent to the Senate for consideration, where it’s likely to face roadblocks from the Democratic majority — possibly delaying its final passage ahead of the September deadline.