House consideration of the annual defense authorization bill is likely to be delayed until next week as House Republicans continue to dispute which controversial amendments will be voted on during the floor proceedings.
This extended timeline is the result of challenges faced by Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and GOP leaders as they work to resolve internal differences and rally the party’s support to pass their top policy priorities, despite their slim majority in the lower chamber.
Until now, disagreements have primarily focused on spending issues, as hard-right members of the Freedom Caucus clash with more moderate Republicans over the size and scope of the federal government.
The current dispute involves the same players, but the concerns have shifted to culture war issues such as abortion and “wokeness,” leading to divisions within the conference and prolonging the debate on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that GOP leaders had hoped to pass this week.
Representatives Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), both hard-line conservatives who also sit on the House Rules Committee, have stated that they do not expect the defense bill to be passed this week.
“We’re not gonna get the NDAA wrapped up, I don’t think, by like Friday, right,” Roy said. “So the point is we got to work through this and figure out whether we can get agreement and everything, you know, in the rule and everything here in the next couple days.”
“I would put the odds, if I had to bet on this, I’d say it’d be next week,” echoed Norman, a self-proclaimed “betting man,” regarding final passage of the defense bill.
Historically, passage of the annual NDAA has been a routine, albeit tedious, process that involves plenty of debate and amendments, but typically garners widespread bipartisan support in a Congress that largely reveres the military.
However, the introduction of new Pentagon policies under the Biden administration, which touch on social issues like climate change, LGBT rights, and abortion, combined with the ongoing battle between McCarthy and his conservative critics, have changed the dynamics of this year’s debate.
“Abortion, transgender, DEI, climate change… All that stuff, social engineering stuff, needs to be addressed,” Roy said. “There are amendments to address it. The question is when will they be voted on, how will they be voted on. And then, you know, thirdly is Ukraine. That’s a whole other issue.”
This internal fight has defense hawks concerned. “A small group of people isn’t just saying ‘we want to vote on things that we care about.’ They want to say, ‘If we don’t get what we want, we’ll tear the whole thing down,'” said Representative Adam Smith (D-Wash.), ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee.
With over 1,500 proposed amendments to sort through, the House Rules Committee will need to decide which amendments will be voted on, and another rule will need to be crafted to allow the bill to move to final passage. Additionally, House GOP leaders may require Democratic support to pass the NDAA due to their slim majority and the historical trend of many Democratic members voting against the bill.
If hot-button conservative amendments are approved, they could potentially jeopardize the bill’s passage. “If some of those amendments pass, I think all Democrats will oppose it,” Smith warned.
While some are concerned about the delays, conservatives support the extended timeline. “The NDAA doesn’t have to pass this week. Why are we rushing through this?” said Representative Scott Perry (R-Pa.), chairman of the hard-line House Freedom Caucus. “I’d like to see it be right and righteous.”
As of now, there is no definitive timeline for the NDAA’s passage, and GOP leaders are prioritizing getting the policy right rather than rushing the process.