The U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act on Friday morning by a vote of 219 to 210 after many Democrats abandoned the bill due to a number of amendments that rolled back woke provisions pursued by the Biden administration and the president's Pentagon brass.
Four Democrats voted for the 2024 NDAA — Reps. Don Davis (D-NC), Jared Golden (D-ME), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA), and Gabe Vasquez (D-NM) — while four Republicans voted against the legislation — Reps. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Ken Buck (R-CO), Eli Crane (R-AZ), and Thomas Massie (R-KY).
"While I fully support funding our national defense and agree with several amendments to this bill, I cannot in good conscience vote for its $875.4 billion price tag," Rep. Buck explained of his vote against the NDAA. "The Department of Defense has failed five financial audits in a row," he continued, pointing to a 2022 review that found DOD "failed to account for 61% of its $3.5 trillion in assets."
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), on the other hand, heralded the "host of victories for the defense of the American people" contained in the legislation that "takes significant steps towards refocusing our military on national security," saying it "represents the kind of success a unified Republican majority can have."
"Though many have accused conservatives of 'politicizing' the NDAA, it was the Biden administration that politicized the military by pushing misguided, radical social-engineering policies," Roy explained. "Because of this, the Republican majority has a duty to right the ship and restore our military to its focus."
In a statement Roy outlined the wins he says House Republicans secured in the now-passed NDAA:
House Republicans successfully passed my amendments to ban Critical Race Theory at Department of Defense schools, prevent the DoD from re-establishing Chief Diversity Officers, and stop defense dollars from going to President Biden’s radical climate change agenda. Critically, House Republicans also passed my and Rep. Ronny Jackson’s amendment to stop funding the Pentagon’s abortion travel fund among other wins such as halting taxpayer funding for gender transition surgeries in the military. We also secured firm commitments to get clean up or down votes on previous, outdated 1957, 1991, and 2002 authorizations of military force and to reaffirm Congress’ constitutional duty to declare war regardless of NATO’s whims under Article 5. These victories represent months of hard work to ensure that the People’s House actually does the business of the American people.
Still, Roy noted there's still "much work to be done on issues left unaddressed by this bill." Those include "restoring all military personnel – in all respects – impacted by Biden's tyrannical COVID-19 vaccine mandate." In addition, Roy said Congress has "much more work to do regarding blank checks for Ukraine and a clear mission or accounting of the resources we have already sent."
Hinting at the opposition expected to come against the House-passed NDAA in the Senate and from the Biden administration, Roy called on his House GOP colleagues to "stand strong this time and resist the temptation to capitulate to the White House or the Democrat-controlled Senate" after Republicans "blinked in negotiations on the debt ceiling."
"The American people I talk to back home don’t want a weak military," Roy emphasized. "They don’t want a woke military. They don’t want to pay for sex changes. The American people want a military that can provide for security and win wars," he explained. "This isn't just about having a military worthy of the Republic it defends — but a military that reflects its country’s values and principles so that it is capable of carrying out its mission. That is what conservatives fought for, and that is why I voted 'yes,'" Roy explained.
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