House Republicans agreed to a package of amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act that Democrats say include conservative “poison pills” that threaten the bipartisan support for the bill, which passed out of committee by a vote of 57 to 1.
The House Rules Committee allowed around 350 amendments to come to the floor for debate. Among those are provisions addressing DOD policies on abortion access, diversity training and environmental action.
“We’re just trying to put the [Department of Defense] back into kind of the same cultural footing that it was in just not very long ago,” Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) said. “We’re not asking for anything crazy here.”
The Timeline
Floor debate began Wednesday and is likely to continue through tomorrow before a final vote. The Senate has been working on its version of the bill this week in closed-door meetings.
Pay Raise for Junior Enlisted
The House proposed a 4.5% pay raise for all military personnel and another 15% for junior enlisted service members. The White House opposed that figure, saying it is too costly, as On Base reported.
Military Times reported Wednesday that the Senate plan will include the 4.5% pay raise across the board and an additional 1% for junior enlisted.
The administration is in the middle of its quadrennial review on military pay.
Marine Corps photo of Crenshaw, left, by Cpl. Henry Rodriguez
