Defense bill includes massive raise for troops, sets up clash over transgender treatments
Negotiators in Congress have unveiled a compromise bill on defense that gives junior troops a large pay increase and bans the use military health insurance to cover “gender dysphoria treatment” for transgender children.
Rep. Adam Smith, a Washington-based Democratic leader in the National Defense Authorization Act, was outraged by this ban. He accused House Speaker Mike Johnson, of injecting a partisan matter into a bipartisan bill.
If Democrats revolt on the transgender issue, and a majority of Republicans reject the overall bill by a large number, the conflict could complicate House votes.
Mr. Smith stated that it was wrong to deny health care to those who need it because of a bias against transgenders. This provision brought a level partisanship to defense legislation that is not usually seen. Speaker Johnson panders to the extreme elements of his own party in order to retain his position as speaker. He has ruined what was a bipartisan system.”
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It’s not clear how many Democrats are going to be adamant about the provision. This is especially true after Republicans have beaten their transgender campaign rivals and gained control of both chambers of Congress and the White House in the November 5 elections.
Both parties praised the NDAA fiscal 2025 for other aspects, such as a pay increase of 4.5% for all service members. The lawmakers were concerned that junior military members would struggle to purchase necessities due to high inflation.
The White House was opposed to such a large increase due to cost concerns.
The $895 billion bill outlined the Defense Department’s spending priorities and came in under mandated budget caps despite a push in the Democratic-controlled Senate to go above the limits. The NDAA sets the stage for appropriators.
In a recent speech, Charles E. Schumer (New York Democrat) said that the NDAA had been passed every year for decades.
The bill of 2025 eliminates copays on contraceptives, and establishes a 3-year trial program to test cryopreservation (freezing eggs or sperm later for use).
This includes new housing for military personnel, as well as child care centers and play areas.
On Saturday, Mike Rogers of the House Armed Services Committee, an Alabama Republican, along with the Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Jack Reed, a Rhode Island Democrat and Sen. Roger F. Wicker of Mississippi, released the NDAA.
Mr. Wicker stated that he was “proud of much of the NDAA,” but wanted a larger spending boost to deal with the “most dangerous time since World War II.”
Wicker stated that the NDAA “not only thwarts the bipartisan will in the Senate but also represents a profound missed opportunity for President-elect Donald Trump to have a stronger hand once he assumes office.”
Mr. Johnson, Louisiana Republican said that the bill would expand U.S.-Israeli exercises, strengthen Indo-Pacific allies in order to protect Taiwan, and support the deployment the National Guard at the border to intercept illegal immigrants.
The House passed provisions in this bill to restore the focus on military lethality, to stop radical woke ideologies being imposed on our Military and to permanently ban transgender medical treatments for minors as well as to combat antisemitism.
Mr. Smith asked the Speaker to lift the ban on the coverage of transgender treatment for minors. It will become clearer if it is a hot topic this week after the House Rules Committee debates the parameters of a vote on the floor.
“I will not judge a Democrat based on how they vote.” In an interview with Breaking Defense, Mr. Smith stated that the bill contains a number of positive features. “I’m not going say that you must vote for or against this bill. I will make my personal decision and so will other members.”
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