WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 25: Army veteran Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) (C) joins House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) (L) and Vietnam War veteran Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA) for a news conference to highlight the potential negative affects a federal default could have on veterans benefits at the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center on May 25, 2023 in Washington, DC.(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The U.S. House of Representatives narrowly approved annual legislation that funds the country’s military Friday on a 217-199 vote, with nearly all House Democrats objecting to the Republican majority’s inclusion of provisions relating to contentious social issues.
While the National Defense Authorization Act is historically a bipartisan measure approved annually to fund the military, the NDAA for the 2025 fiscal year includes Republican amendments restricting service members’ ability to access abortion and gender-affirming care. The act also aims to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
The $883.7 billion measure will need to be reconciled with the version that comes from the Democratic-controlled Senate, where the House Republican amendments stand little chance of passage.
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Colorado’s delegation voted along party lines. Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Windsor Republican, and Rep. Doug Lamborn, a Colorado Springs Republican, voted in favor of the legislation, while Democrats Rep. Diana Degette of Denver, Rep. Joe Neguse of Lafayette, Rep. Jason Crow of Centennial, Rep. Brittany Pettersen of Lakewood, and Rep. Yadira Caraveo of Thornton all voted against it.
“U.S. service members take an oath to defend our nation and rely on Congress to have their back. But for the second year in a row, House Republicans have failed — I cannot support this year’s NDAA,” Crow, an Army veteran, said in a statement. “My extreme colleagues would rather restrict reproductive freedoms and roll back diversity protections than address our urgent recruitment and retention needs.”
DeGette in a statement also blasted House Republicans’ use of the bill to “further an extreme anti-choice, anti-freedom agenda.”
“If this bill becomes law, those fighting for our country will face even greater restrictions on their health care access,” DeGette said. “Unfortunately, the extreme MAGA Republicans weaponized this bill against our servicemembers. They should focus on supporting those who serve our country, not on restricting their freedoms.”
Six Democrats in the House voted in favor of the NDAA, while three Republicans opposed it. Last year, the NDAA also passed the House with little Democratic support because it included similar Republican-backed amendments.
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