NDAA passes House after initial pushback
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) has been one of the wilder rides I have seen in Congress to get a piece of legislation passed that usually flies right through.
We started to see some resistance among the Freedom Caucus members, as well as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), saying she would not support it.
But when push came to shove, deals were done, and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) managed to get it through the House.
It Passed
There were some no-brainer provisions in the bill that everyone supported, such as a 4% raise for our troops.
However, there was also Trump’s Golden Dome proposal, Ukraine aid, and a few other provisions that had some wavering on both sides of the aisle.
As noted above, when push came to shove, the bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, 312-112.
The bill will now head to the Senate, where it should easily pass, then to Trump’s desk for his signature.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX)
Roy had been a problem for Johnson during his time as Speaker, but he backed this bill and was excited to announce his support for it after it passed.
In part, he stated, “This Republican majority, alongside the Trump administration, including Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, is sending a message to the entire world that the United States is serious once again.
“No more woke programs. No more progressive indoctrination programs at our elite military academies.
"No more watering down the physical requirements for soldiers who cannot meet the physical demands of being an American warfighter – expected to answer the call of duty at any moment. No more taxpayer dollars spent on sex changes in the military.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA)
Greene, as noted above, was a firm “no” only earlier this week, but she did what all politicians do these days and changed her mind after making a deal.
In her initial statement rejecting the NDAA, she said she was doing so because it was "filled with American’s hard earned tax dollars used to fund foreign aid and foreign country’s wars."
She then made a deal to change her vote, announcing it on X, posting, “I made a deal and changed my NO vote on the rule to a Yes in exchange for a floor vote next week on my bill that is one of President Trump’s key campaign promises and executive orders.
“[House Majority] Leader Steve Scalise has promised me that my bill Protect Children’s Innocence Act, H.R. 3492, will be brought to the floor for a vote next Wednesday, Dec 17th. This would make it a class c felony to trans a child under 18. Every Republican campaigned to protect kids from the trans agenda.”
In this case, I support her deal. Since breaking up with Trump, Greene has made it a priority to put her constituents first, and I have always supported that. And while I did not like her meeting with the Pink group recently, I have not read up on it enough to comment as of yet, so I will let that slide for now. But if you are going to sell your vote, she did it for a great cause this time.
