The House started debating the basics of the fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act Wednesday by working through the committee’s bill and broadly supported amendments.

The original plan was to pass the bill by Friday, but the timeline and likelihood of passage are both in question. Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), two of the most conservative members of the House Rules Committee, which influences the floor schedule, said they think it is unlikely the bill will be finished this week.

Their committee is considering whether to allow floor consideration of potentially hundreds of controversial amendments, including some related to abortion, LGBTQ+ issues and DOD diversity policies. If Republicans bring up and pass those amendments, it could cost House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) the Democratic votes that typically help the bill pass.

“A small group of people isn’t just saying, ‘We want to vote on things that we care about.’ They want to say, ‘If we don’t get what we want, we’ll tear the whole thing down,’” House Armed Services Ranking Member Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said Wednesday, according to The Hill. “I think it’s more likely than not right now that [the NDAA] won’t pass.”

Air Force photo of Smith by Tech. Sgt. Jensen Stidham