House Republicans are expected to bring to the floor this week their revised version of the annual defense spending bill, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Because the military has to be funded, the bill gets through Congress every year, typically by wide margins.
The House passed its first version in June by the not-so-wide margin of 217-199 because the bill included GOP efforts at course correction from the Biden administration's pro-abortion and pro-transgender military policies.
“This year’s NDAA will refocus our military on its core mission of defending America and its interests across the globe,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement then.
Six Democrats voted in favor of the bill then, three Republicans against it.
A key comeback in the Senate version – yet to go to the floor for a full vote in the Democrat-led upper chamber – has been the effort to require women, just as men do now, to register with Selective Service when they turn 18. It’s a main point of contention as the House and Senate aim to iron out differences and fund the military for 2025.
Johnson has said any Senate bill that includes a requirement for women to register with Selective Service, making them draft-eligible if the U.S. returns to required service, is dead on arrival in the House. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) is on board with that.
“It's bad for the military; it's bad for our daughters – but thankfully, Mike Johnson and the House, we are negotiating that out of it,” Roy said on Washington Watch Friday. "My understanding of the current debates and the negotiations of what we’re going to try to bring forward is legislation that would not have that in it.”
A staunch conservative, Roy told show host Jody Hice the House legislation is expected to excise other “woke” provisions included by the Senate. He said he could not be more specific because Johnson had not yet discussed the updated House version publicly.
“Won't be exactly the bill that would be my favorite, but I think we can move it forward and get it done in a place that at least preserves the sensibilities that we appreciate, the spending levels according to the FRA [Fiscal Responsibility Act] agreement, the caps that were put in place. So, I'm hopeful that that's where we're headed," said the Texas Repubican.
Social engineering in the military
The Biden military, led by Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin, circumvented the 2022 Supreme Court decision that returned abortion to the control of the states by providing paid travel, leave time and more for service members and spouses to leave their posts in red states to receive abortions and related services in blue states.
It was a move that Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) argued not only violated the spirit of the High Court’s decision but broke the law as well as a violation of the Hyde Amendment, which bans the use of federal funds for abortion unless the life of the mother is in danger.
Tuberville fought back by creating a backlog on Senate approval of military promotions while its abortion policy was in effect. Ultimately his campaign of “holds” on promotions was defeated.
The Biden military also went out of its way to encourage the transgender lifestyle among service men and women.
The Senate added the language requiring Selective Service for women to its NDAA version in June when the Senate Armed Services Committee advanced its version with the women and Selective Service language. Committee chair Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island) defended the proposed policy change.
“Women are doing a remarkable job in our forces today, and if we were in a situation requiring a draft, I think we would need all able-bodied citizens 18 and above,” he said in June.
Military branches met most of their recruiting goals in 2024 after years of shortages, according to a Defense Department report in June. It’s unclear if those goals were adjusted with recent shortfalls in mind. The Army and Marines met their goals; the Navy did not.
“The Senate product has included the language in there to expand the draft to our daughters, to young women. This is something that is a nonstarter for me,” Roy emphasized.
Some allow women draftees right now
The U.S., if the Senate gets its way, would not be the first country to require that women be drafted. Israel, with a much smaller population, does so right now. So do North Korea, Libya, Norway, Sweden and a few others.
Critics of women in the draft cite their family and care-giving responsibilities, physical differences between men and women, the possibility of sexual assault and harassment, and practical considerations such as significant changes to military training, equipment and infrastructure.
Rep. Roy made it clear he has no plans to waver from his stance.
“This is a hill to die on," he said. "It will be over my dead body that I'm going to allow my daughter to get drafted. She wants to serve. She can serve, and we can have all those debates. If somebody wants to end the draft or start the draft, they can debate that. But you're not going to draft my daughter.”
