Summary:
- Republicans on Capitol Hill claimed the administration was politicizing the military by getting involved in the abortion debate with just weeks until an election.
- Just a few weeks after the Dobbs v. Jackson abortion decision, defense legislation passed the House but made no mention of the controversy.
- Senate Armed Services Committee voted to increase funding for the Pentagon by $45 billion.
- Military personnel stationed in states that have outlawed or severely restricted the procedure will be given travel and transportation benefits.
- The cost of the procedure is not covered by the Defense Department because it is not permitted to pay for or carry out the procedure at military facilities.
- The Senate’s need to pass the defense policy bill may take precedence over concerns about the abortion policy, even among Republicans.
- A battle to reverse the policy in the defense bill would be a red line for any Republican attempting to hold up the NDAA as a vehicle for an abortion amendment.
In the seven-week period between the midterm elections and the new year, Senate leaders hoped to swiftly pass important defense legislation and secure a significant increase in President Joe Biden’s Pentagon budget.
The new abortion policy was then announced by the Pentagon.
According to the directive, which was made public last week, the Defense Department will now pay for travel expenses for troops and family members who want to get abortions. In an effort to avoid a repeat of last year, when the legislation stalled on the Senate floor, Democrats made a move that could make it more difficult for the bill to pass in its final form.
Republicans on Capitol Hill claimed the administration was politicizing the military by getting involved in the abortion debate with just weeks until an election and diverting funds away from pressing national security requirements. In order to stop the post-Roe v. Wade initiative, some GOP lawmakers are now attempting to use the Pentagon policy bill.
Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas referred to it as an “outrageous memorandum” and urged Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to permit votes on amendments to stop the policy.
The DoD needs to prioritize our national security
The DoD needs to prioritize our national security above all else, according to Marshall, who issued a statement.
Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama, the chair of the House Armed Services Committee’s Republican faction, criticized the practice last week and demanded information about the author of Austin’s memo. He also made an allusion to a legislative effort to thwart the policy.
In order to deter China and other adversaries, taxpayer money should not be wasted, according to Rogers. “DoD must be prevented from squandering any funds from their budget on this abhorrent policy.”
Partisan policies like these are what I have fought to leave out of the defense bill in the past, said Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Just a few weeks after the Dobbs v. Jackson abortion decision, defense legislation passed the House but made no mention of the controversy. There is still time for lawmakers to try to tack on language concerning abortion because the Senate still needs to pass its version and negotiate a compromise bill with the House.
May push for a vote
Republicans may push for a vote after the midterm elections when Congress reconvenes, but no senator has yet submitted an amendment to stop the new policy.
The Senate’s path to passing the bill was not without challenges, even before the abortion policy was made public. It is unclear which of the 900 already filed amendments will receive votes. Senators, for instance, have suggested cutting the defense budget, repealing provisions requiring women to register for the draught, reducing spending on nuclear weapons, and rolling back the president’s war-making authority.
Republicans are also trying to undermine other Biden administration policies, such as requirements for troops to receive vaccines or clauses that encourage the Pentagon to purchase electric vehicles.
Spending increase
Progressives typically oppose defense legislation, but Democrats need Republican support to pass it because their margin of control in both chambers is so thin. This situation has given defense hawks the power to force through significant increases in Biden’s Pentagon spending. The Senate Armed Services Committee decided to increase funding by $45 billion from the proposed level of $802 billion for this year.
The need for bipartisan support also prompted House Democratic leaders to drop some of the most divisive ideas during the NDAA debate in July, such as efforts to increase troops’ access to abortions. These front lines may change as a result of the new Pentagon strategy.
According to a memo released by Austin last week, military members or their dependents who need abortions but are stationed in states that have outlawed or severely restricted the procedure will be given travel and transportation benefits. Additionally, it orders that administrative absences be granted to troops for reproductive care so they won’t need to take time off. The cost of the procedure is not covered by the policy because, in most cases, the Defense Department is not permitted to pay for or carry out the procedure at military medical facilities.
Access to reproductive care
According to Pentagon officials, the varying state laws regarding abortion have started to affect readiness. Austin argued in his memo that military personnel and their families frequent moves “should not limit their access to reproductive care.”
Democrats on Capitol Hill applauded Austin’s action and called for strengthening military personnel’s access to abortion in the months following the Supreme Court decision, though some legislators are pushing for broader protections.
Though it is unclear how important Republicans will consider addressing the Pentagon policy or whether some senators will attempt to derail the bill over it, Republicans have long opposed expanding access to and funding for abortion across government programmes.
According to Lorry Fenner, director of government relations at the Service Women’s Action Network, “We’re kind of holding our breath as the Senate returns after the elections to see what they’re going to do.”
The PACT Act
Republicans, according to Fenner, may experience backlash akin to that experienced when they initially opposed the PACT Act, which expanded health care for veterans exposed to burn pits. The PACT Act was eventually passed in August.
Fenner said, “I hope beyond hope that the opposition may have learned from the PACT Act, that to try and hold an important bill like the NDAA or the defense appropriations hostage to a very divisive political move could spell a disaster for them.
A battle to reverse the policy in the defense bill, according to Roger Severino, a fellow and vice president for domestic policy at the conservative Heritage Foundation.
The level of polarisation will shock the American people, in my opinion, and there will be an effort to quell it with the NDAA because that is the proper vehicle, according to Severino. It should unquestionably be a red line.
The Senate’s need to swiftly pass the defense policy bill may take precedence over concerns about the abortion policy, even among Republicans who would like to see it blocked because lawmakers have a limited window in November and December to get a compromise to Biden.
The Armed Services Committee’s Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota said he anticipates an amendment regarding the abortion law, but cautioned that the dispute shouldn’t “hold up passage of the NDAA.”
Cramer stated in an interview, “I’d like to have that vote.” But we must complete this task, and the sooner the better.
