Global Courant
House Republicans will present a spending bill on Tuesday for the Department of Veterans Affairs and related agencies that they hope can be used to reverse 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 impairing access to reproductive health care, threatening the health and safety of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex Americans (LGBTQI+), endangering marriage equality, hindering critical climate change initiatives and preventing the government from promoting diversity, equity and inclusion. .”
But the spending bill is expected to come to the House floor this week for a vote before lawmakers leave for a month-long recess. And it could become even more objectionable to the White House depending on which amendments from conservative lawmakers get a vote and are attached to the bill.
Below are six amendments that Republicans are proposing to the $152 billion bill, representing a $18 billion increase from last year’s bill.
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Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough has led the department since the beginning of President Biden’s term. (Getty Images/File)
Stop the military from removing Confederate symbols
An amendment brought by Representatives Bob Good of Virgina and Andrew Clyde of Georgia would prevent the government from spending money to implement the recommendations of the Pentagon’s Naming Commission, a congressional-approved panel 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 murder 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.
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Blocking funds for gender affirming surgeries
An amendment by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia would prevent federal dollars from being spent on “any sex reassignment surgery” under the purview of the Department of Veterans Affairs. A similar amendment had already passed in June in the House Credits Committee.
VA Secretary Denis McDonough announced in 2021 that his department’s health care would cover gender surgery for trans veterans.
An amendment also targeting gender ideology by Rep. Colorado’s Lauren Boebert could also be put to the vote. Boebert’s provision would prohibit federal funding from going to a VA program called “Managing Gender Diversity in the Department of Veterans Affairs.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was one of several conservative Republicans who introduced amendments focused on social issues. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images/File)
Withhold money for drag shows
Montana Representative Matt Rosendale introduced an amendment to prevent funds in the Veterans Affairs spending bill from being used to promote adult cabaret shows or LGBTQ-themed events.
The Pentagon banned drag shows from military bases this summer. It was a long-standing policy that was only enforced after intense pressure from GOP lawmakers, who claimed that such forms of speech, along with Biden’s Pentagon initiatives to focus on justice and diversity, hurt recruiting efforts during a widespread shortage of military personnel.
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Prohibiting funds for ESG initiatives
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) investments have been in the crosshairs of GOP lawmakers who claim it is a way for big business to impose a progressive agenda on the country.
An amendment to the veterans’ funding bill by Representative Ronny Jackson of Texas would prevent Veterans Affairs from creating an advisory panel on the topic of ESG.
No such advisory committee currently exists at the VA, but an environmental risk advisory committee is listed as “administratively inactive” on the department’s website.
Rep. Matt Rosendale’s amendment targets all possible VA dollars going to drag shows. (Bill Clark/Getty Images/File)
Restrict access to abortion
One of several amendments introduced by Representative Andy Ogles of Tennessee “eliminates exceptions to abortion funding in the bill.”
The bill itself contains language to prevent federal funding from going to abortion, except for cases involving rape, incest and the life of the mother.
Ogles’ proposal is one of two abortion-related amendments in the bill. Greene introduced a measure that would restrict abortion and abortion-related services and prevent those dollars from going to another agency to perform such procedures.
Ban Biden’s climate policy
An amendment by Representatives Chip Roy of Texas and Kat Cammack of Florida broadly blocks all federal dollars allocated by this bill for rolling out Biden’s climate change initiatives. Roy is one of three conservatives on the Rules Committee who will consider which of dozens of amendments could get a vote on the House floor.
Roy’s language would end the Biden administration’s plan to replace the VA’s fleet of about 22,000 vehicles with zero-emission vehicles, something Boebert also seeks to block in her own spending bill amendment.
Elizabeth Elkind is a political reporter for Fox News Digital.
