House Republicans vote to make it harder for troops to get abortions

• House Republicans voted to eliminate a Pentagon policy that makes it easier for service members to obtain abortions.
• Republicans tacked on their proposal to a massive Pentagon funding bill.
• Only two Republicans broke with their party in opposing the measure. One Democrat supported it.

House Republicans voted overwhelmingly Thursday evening to eliminate a Pentagon policy that makes it easier for servicemembers to obtain an abortion, a vote underlining the intense conservative anger over the issue.

The House voted largely along party lines 221-213 in tacking on the restriction to a larger must-pass bill funding the Pentagon. Only two House Republicans broke with the party. One House Democrat also voted in favor of the measure.

Rep. Ronny Jackson, a Texas Republican, proposed the amendment to a massive Pentagon funding bill that would end the Pentagon’s policy of providing travel reimbursement to service members looking to obtain an abortion. The assistance was passed in the wake of the Supreme Court’s landmark 2022 decision that gut abortion rights. Some Republicans have blasted the Defense Department over the policy. Sen. Tommy Tuberville has gone so far as to block the confirmation of a new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a leader for the Marine Corps. 

President Joe Biden and the White House reportedly view the issue as a winner for them. Biden has essentially left it to Senate Republicans to rein Tuberville in. Thursday’s vote illustrates the sheer number of Republicans who agree with Tuberville’s position even if some lawmakers may disagree with his tactic of holding up military promotions.

House Republicans have a number of other amendment votes to press through Thursday evening. The must-pass funding bill, the National Defense Authorization Act, has often been overshadowed by legislative fights for policies that lawmakers want to jam into the bill. 

CNN’s Melanie Zanona wrote that the inclusion of the abortion restrictions will lead the final House vote to be extremely one-sided. The final NDAA bill generally passes with large bipartisan support.

It’s unclear what will happen with the policy given that the Democratic-led Senate is passing its own version of the legislation. Both houses must then work out a compromise before the final legislation can be passed and sent to Biden.