House Republicans are targeting these Biden administration Veterans Affairs policies
Julia Johnson
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House Republicans have introduced several amendments to a military construction and Veterans Affairs spending bill aimed at reining in the Biden administration and preventing it from funding gender transitions and abortions, among other things.
The spending measure will be discussed on Tuesday in the House Rules Committee, and it will be determined which amendments can be brought to a vote.
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Abortion access and funding
Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) has introduced an amendment aimed at preventing any Department of Veterans Affairs funds from going toward abortions. The amendment “eliminates exceptions to abortion funding in the bill,” according to a report.
Abortion and the military have been a headline story in the Senate this year, with Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) holding up hundreds of promotions to protest the Department of Defense’s funding for travel to obtain abortions.
Gender transition surgeries
With a similar focus on cultural matters, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) is pushing to halt any money from the department from paying for procedures meant to transition one’s gender. The amendment would bar federal funds from going to “any sex-altering surgical procedure.”
Another amendment, from Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), would further stop federal funds from footing the bill for a program titled “Managing Gender Diversity in the Department of Veterans Affairs.”
Drag shows
Drag performances are being targeted as well, with Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT) introducing a measure to block funding in the spending bill from supporting “any adult cabaret performances or LGBTQ events.”
Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, supported Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s decision last month to cancel a drag show on a military base, saying it was the “absolute right thing to do.”
Drag shows “were never part of [Department of Defense] policy to begin with, and they’re certainly not funded by federal funds,” he said.
Green policies and ESG
House Republicans are also looking to roll back any remnants of policies instituted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, Rosendale and Rep. Keith Self (R-TX) have moved to ban the enforcement of mask mandates related to the virus at military facilities. Boebert has gone even further, introducing an amendment to ban masks in any nonsurgical areas of the facilities.
Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) also introduced a measure taking aim at environmental, social, and governance initiatives within the VA. Through the amendment, the department would be barred from establishing ESG panels or advisers.
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Following the Rules Committee’s determinations on the amendments, the House is expected to take up the bill this week.
On Monday, the White House issued a threat to veto the measure, along with another spending bill. “The draft bills include numerous new, partisan policy provisions with devastating consequences, including harming access to reproductive healthcare, threatening the health and safety of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex (LGBTQI+) Americans, endangering marriage equality, hindering critical climate change initiatives, and preventing the Administration from promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion,” read a statement of administration policy from President Joe Biden.