Conservatives Tout Defense Policy Bill After House Vote

Congressional conservatives are celebrating the House’s passing of a bipartisan defense policy bill, claiming that they successfully kept Democrats from including more liberal policies such as requiring women to register for the Selective Service, the Washington Examiner reports.

The House and Senate Armed Services committees announced the final version of the $768 billion bill, the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, on Tuesday evening. Alabama Rep. Mike Rogers, the ranking Republican on the House panel, said before the lower chamber voted on the legislation: "I can attest that the bill before you today represents a strong bipartisan, bicameral agreement. Any changes or additions to the text will likely cause the bill to fail in the House or Senate."

"There is much in this bill for conservatives," said Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., who went on to note that a provision requiring women over the age of 18 to register for the draft was kept out of the legislation.

"All along, I’ve fought to keep the ‘women in the draft’ provision out of the bill — ensuring that it was not included in the original draft of the bill and demanding a roll-call vote on it when it was offered as an amendment in markup," he said. "I’m proud to have successfully removed this provision from the final agreement, because plain and simple, we shouldn’t be forcing our daughters and granddaughters to register for the Selective Service.

"The agreement rejects progressives’ attempts to paint service members as extremists, to use the NDAA to further their efforts for D.C. statehood, and to advance progressives’ social agenda," Inhofe argued, adding that it "prohibits service members from being dishonorably discharged for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine."

The bill is now headed for the Senate, where it is set to receive a straight vote and will likely pass with bipartisan support, according to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who said recently that "It's our view that we will pass that bill as the House sends it because it's been negotiated."

• Congress Includes $300M for Ukraine, Addresses China in Massive Defense Bill
• Rubio Blocks Action on Defense Bill