OAN Abril Elfi
12:22 PM – Friday, July 14, 2023
A defense law that restricts access to abortion, transgender healthcare, and diversity training in the military was recently passed by the House of Representatives. The bill was approved Friday morning by a close vote of 219 to 210.
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The amendments, which were approved on Thursday, would prohibit the secretary of defense from covering or compensating service members for costs associated with abortion, transgender surgery and hormone therapy.
The House also narrowly approved the amendment put up by Representative Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.), that would prevent the Department of Defense and military health insurance from paying for or funding hormone treatments and transgender procedures.
Before final approval on Friday morning, two modifications were adopted. One would prohibit military service academies from using federal funds to discriminate against applicants or set quotas based on their race or ethnicity. The second would prevent President Joe Biden’s executive actions on climate change from being implemented by the Defense Department.
Senate Democrats did not support Senator Tommy Tuberville’s (R-Ala.) proposal to prohibit Pentagon funding or reimbursements for abortion services.
On Friday, House Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry (R-Pa.) stated that his fellow Republicans will not concede and accept a bipartisan compromise.
“We are not going to back down. We’re not going to give up on the cause that is righteous and we’re going to keep fighting for it,” Perry said. “The military is not the place for a social experiment. The military needs to be focused on readiness and lethality, and all these other things are distractors from that and harm our national security.”
The House Rules Committee passed the amendments earlier this week. This passing was seen as a victory for the right wing of the House GOP.
A Senate-reviewed version of the bill is set to be coordinated with the defense law.
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