The US House of Representatives has passed a defence policy bill worth US$892.6 billion, which, alongside measures to strengthen military readiness and raise pay for American service members, introduces a number of new restrictions, including a ban on gender-affirming care for military personnel.
Source: European Pravda, citing The New York Times
Details: The bill has been approved with 231 votes in favour. The New York Times noted that Republicans in Congress had turned the Pentagon’s annual policy measure into a tool for imposing conservative social policy.
For the third consecutive year, they have added new restrictions to block diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, introduced various climate-related limitations and increased the flow of decommissioned military weapons into a civilian firearm programme, alienating even Democrats who initially supported the bill.
The stated goal of the legislation was to streamline and modernise how the Pentagon identifies and meets military needs, including through research, budgeting, contracting, production and supply. Both Republicans and Democrats in Congress criticised this process, which also angered defence industry stakeholders.
Despite the partisan nature of the final bill, it includes measures supported by both conservative Republicans and progressive Democrats aimed at restoring Congress’s military authority after decades in which the executive branch has had broad powers to conduct military operations without lawmakers’ approval.
While Republicans and Democrats praised provisions of the bill that they said would improve the Pentagon’s ability to conduct defence missions and strengthen the armed forces, much of the debate was dominated by controversial disputes over several conservative social policy restrictions introduced by the Republican Party during the vote, which largely fell along party lines.
Some of these targeted transgender service members and their families, reflecting efforts by US President Donald Trump’s administration to remove transgender personnel from the armed forces.
Despite strong Republican opposition to providing military assistance to Ukraine, the defence policy bill allocates US$400 million for a Pentagon initiative to support Ukraine’s security. The House rejected Marjorie Taylor Greene’s proposal to cut funding for Ukraine, with both Republicans and Democrats voting against it.
Lawmakers also added a requirement for the Pentagon to report to Congress if the administration plans to cancel or suspend military assistance to Ukraine authorised by Congress. This appears to be an effort to restore oversight after the Department of Defense decided in the summer to pause aid shipments to Ukraine without notifying lawmakers.
Background: The version of the bill approved by the US Senate Armed Services Committee in July included US$500 million in aid for Ukraine.
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