House Republicans proved they are not serious about defending the country

The defence bill the House just passed is an exercise in right-wing virtue signalling, not passing serious policy

For the past few months, Sen Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) has held up military nominations to oppose the Pentagon’s policy that allows for servicemembers stationed in states with abortion restrictions to be reimbursed for travel to a state where abortion is more accessible.

The move has received condemnation from even members of his own party. But on Thursday, House Republicans voted to pass an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would roll back the policy. It was one of a litany of right-wing policies that the GOP loaded into the must-pass legislation.

Friend of the Independent’s Inside Washington newsletter Sarah Ferris of Politico reported that Rep Nancy Mace (R-SC), who previously said the GOP needed to stop being “a**holes to women,” disliked an amendment to roll back the policy, saying to a staffer in an elevator, “We should not be taking this f***ing vote, man. F**k.” But she ultimately voted for the amendment, showing that her frequent criticisms of the GOP’s policies on abortion ring hollow since she won’t take actual hard action.

This process repeated itself throughout the amendment process for the NDAA. Rep Eli Crane (R-AZ) using the term “coloured people” on the House floor to describe Black people and people of colour outraged many of his Democratic colleagues. But his words came as he was proposing an amendment that would prohibit the Pentagon from considering race, gender, religion or “any other ideological concepts” when it comes to recruitment, education, promotion and retention.

In the same respect, Rep Ralph Norman’s amendment would prohibit “unapproved flags” but was meant to restrict the use of pride flags. Similarly, amendments to prevent gender-affirming care for troops also passed.

Of course, the repeal of the Pentagon policy means the legislation is essentially a non-starter in the Senate, where Democrats control the Senate and where Republicans might see such an amendment to be politically radioactive. But this was not an exercise in serious governance; rather House Speaker Kevin McCarthy allowed for these amendments to have a vote so that Republicans could appear like they are actually trying to pass a defence spending bill rather than passing something they know the Senate – to say nothing of the White House – would find amenable.

All of this is part of Mr McCarthy’s attempt to keep his gavel. Look no further than the fact that Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene told reporters that in exchange for her vote for the final passage of the NDAA, he would give her a spot on the conference committee that would negotiate with the Senate on the final bill.

Leadership typically reserves these spots for senior members or members who are known to “get things done.” But Ms Greene doesn’t seem interested in coming to a compromise but rather said “On final passage, I’m a zero.” Mr McCarthy and Ms Greene have so far had a mutually beneficial relationship, with her giving him cover on his right flank and with him giving her hard political power that she desires.

In the same vein, Mr Norman and Mr Crane opposed Mr McCarthy’s bid for the speakership, with Mr Norman ultimately flipping and Mr Crane opposing his bid until the bitter end back in January. That alone shows how much Mr McCarthy wants to assuage his right flank; he’s willing to satisfy people who remain uneasy about him to avoid a rebellion.

All of this bears striking resemblance to Mr McCarthy’s approach to the debt limit, wherein he initially passed legislation that included a right-wing wishlist that simultaneously kept his conference happy and forced the White House to the negotiating table.

The NDAA is different. Republicans have long battered Democrats for being unserious about defence spending and leaving the country vulnerable to its adversaries. They have also accused Democrats of playing politics with the must-pass bill.

But they now open themselves up to accusations that it is the GOP who is trying to enact their agenda by holding a necessary bill hostage with their own agenda and making the military an extension of their social policy.

The most likely outcome to happen will be that the Senate will now cobble together a version of the bill that is more in line with previous iterations of the NDAA and ultimately strip out some of the aspects that both Democrats and Republicans in the upper chamber can’t stomach. But it once again shows how Mr McCarthy is not leading the House to actually govern, he’s leading the House in a way that makes the far right happy as a way for him to keep his power and little else.