House Republicans on Tuesday will bring forward an expense bill for the Department of Veterans Affairs and related agencies that they hope can be used to roll back the Biden administration’s policies on abortion, transgender healthcare and other lightning rod issues.
The White House said in a statement Monday that it would veto the bill because it would have “devastating consequences, including harming access to reproductive health care, threatening the health and safety of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) Americans, endangering marriage equality, hampering critical climate change initiatives, and preventing the administration from advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
But the spending bill is expected to go to the House for a vote this week before lawmakers leave for a month-long recess. And it could become even more moot for the White House depending on which amendments from conservative lawmakers get a vote and are attached to the bill.
Below are six amendments Republicans are proposing to the $152 billion spending bill, which is an $18 billion increase from last year’s bill.
ONLY 4 DEM VOTE WITH GOP TO APPROVE DEFENSE POLICY BILL REPORTING ABORTION POLICY, ‘WOKE’ INITIATIVES
Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough has led the department since the beginning of President Biden’s term. (Getty Images/Files)
Prevent the military from removing Confederate symbols
An amendment offered by Representatives Bob Good of Virginia and Andrew Clyde of Georgia would prevent the government from spending money to implement recommendations made by the Pentagon’s Naming Commission, a congressional-approved group charged with recommending new labels for military assets, including bases, named after Confederate icons.
The commission was the result of a bipartisan effort in the wake of the 2020 killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. The Department of Defense began implementing its recommendations this year.
A similar amendment by Good to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) failed last week.
THE REP. GOP ARMY VETERAN SAYS WE TRY TO PRONOMINATE OUR ENEMIES IN PUSH TO END MILITARY PROGRAM
Blocking funds for gender-affirming surgeries
An amendment by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia would bar federal dollars from going to “any sex-altering surgical procedure” under the purview of the Department of Veterans Affairs. A similar amendment had already been adopted in June by the House Appropriations Committee.
VA Secretary Denis McDonough announced in 2021 that his department’s health care would cover gender surgery for trans veterans.
An amendment targeting Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert’s gender ideology could also get a vote. Boebert’s provision would bar federal funding from going toward a VA program called “Gender Diversity Management in the Department of Veterans Affairs.”
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene was one of several conservative Republicans to introduce amendments targeting social issues. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images/File)
Withholding funds from drag shows
Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana introduced an amendment aimed at blocking any funds in the Veterans Affairs spending bill from being used to promote adult comedy or LGBTQ-themed events.
The Pentagon banned drag shows on military bases this summer. It has been a longstanding policy enforced only after intense pressure from GOP lawmakers, who said such forms of expression, coupled with Biden’s Pentagon initiatives to focus on equity and diversity, hurt recruiting efforts during a widespread military shortage.
DEFENSE SECRETARY’S NEW GUIDANCE ON DRAG SHOWS AT MILITARY BASES HAS IMMEDIATE IMPACT: REPORT
Prohibition of funds for ESG initiatives
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing has been in the sights of GOP lawmakers who argue it is a way for big business to impose a progressive agenda on the country.
An amendment to the veterans funding bill by Texas Rep. Ronny Jackson would prevent Veterans Affairs from establishing any type of ESG advisory board.
No such advisory committee currently exists at the VA, but an advisory committee on environmental hazards is listed on the department’s website as “administratively inactive.”
Rep. Matt Rosendale’s amendment targets all possible VA dollars going to drag shows. (Bill Clark/Getty Images/Files)
Restrict access to abortion
One of several amendments offered by Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee “eliminates abortion funding exceptions in the bill.”
The bill itself includes language to prevent federal funds from going to abortions, except in cases of rape, incest, and maternal life.
Ogles’ proposal is one of two abortion-related amendments in the bill. Greene introduced a measure that would limit abortion and abortion-related services, as well as prevent those dollars from going to a different agency to perform those procedures.
CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Ban Biden’s climate change policies
An amendment by Representatives Chip Roy of Texas and Kat Cammack of Florida largely blocks the use of any federal dollars granted by this bill to launch Biden’s climate change initiatives. Roy is one of three conservatives on the rules committee that will consider which of the dozen amendments will be able to get a vote on the floor.
Roy’s language would put an end to the Biden administration’s plan to replace the VA’s fleet of about 22,000 vehicles with zero-emissions vehicles, something Boebert is also trying to block in his own spending bill amendment.
#awakened #Biden #policies #Veterans #Affairs #Republicans #moving #dismantle
Image Source : www.foxnews.com