Getting Woke Out of the Ranks: House Passes Defense Bill Restricting Woke Initiatives

The House of Representatives passed an anti-woke defense bill on Friday, mostly along party lines (four Democrats crossed the aisle, four GOP members opposed); the final vote was 219-210.

According to Newsmax, “Republicans tacked on provisions to stem the Defense Department diversity initiatives and to restrict access to abortions. The abortion issue has been championed by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) who is singularly stalling Senate confirmation of military officers, including the new Commandant of the Marine Corps.”

“We are continuing to block the Biden Administration’s ‘woke’ agenda,” said Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) on Friday.

From Newsmax:

Turning the must-pass Defense bill into a partisan battleground underscores how deeply the nation’s military, a once hallowed institution, has been unexpectedly swept up in the political culture wars over race, equity and women’s health care that are now driving the Republican Party priorities in a deepening national divide.

During one particularly tense moment in the debate, Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio, a former chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, spoke of how difficult it was to look across the aisle as Republicans chip away at gains for women, Black people and others in the military.

Democrat House leadership issued a statement on the vote, accusing the GOP of hijacking the process.

“Extreme MAGA Republicans have chosen to hijack the historically bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act to continue attacking reproductive freedom and jamming their right-wing ideology down the throats of the American people,” said the statement from Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Whip Katherine Clark and Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar.

The bill also included a pay raise for troops —the largest in decades.

The bill is not expected to make it through the Senate.

Watch Kevin McCarthy’s statement below:

House Republicans just gave our troops their biggest pay raise in decades. 98% of Democrats voted against it. https://t.co/H8oKC0eCww

— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) July 14, 2023