House passes defense bill after Democrats unanimously oppose it.

On Friday, Republicans narrowly passed a significantly partisan defense bill, setting up a potential Senate showdown that could affect the pay raise of troops and much more. According to The New York Times, the House passed the measure with a 219 to 210 vote along party lines. The top three Democrats in the House, Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark, and Pete Aguilar, voiced their opposition to the bill the night before, and their party followed suit.

The vote is considered a win for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who allowed far-right Republicans to add conservative amendments targeting abortion access, diversity measurements, and medical care for transgender troops. The bill, which is estimated to cost $886 million, intends to give military personnel a 5.2% raise and establish a program to counter the moves of China and Russia. It also plans to assign a special inspector to oversee U.S. aid to Ukraine.

Unfortunately, the bill is all but guaranteed to fail in the Democrat-controlled Senate, and its passage is further hindered by Republican Senator Tommy Tubverville's refusal to approve more than 200 military nominees. This has resulted in a bipartisan criticism towards Tubverville. Democrats have also condemned the bill, accusing Republicans of transforming a bipartisan measure into a one-sided affair to appease their far-right members. This bill could also discourage women, minorities, and transgender Americans from enlisting.

“We are opposed to this bill because it is our firm belief that it will undermine our ability to meet the national security objectives of this country,” Rep. Adam Smith of Washington said on the floor on Friday.

However, the addition of conservative policies to the bill could persuade the members of the House Freedom Caucus, who rarely vote on the defense spending bill, to support it. According to Rep. Jim Banks, the bill “tackles a lot of the woke issues that have been pushed by the administration on our military in a strong way” and “supports our military to keep America safe.” Thus, Banks believes that “there’s no reason for any Republicans to vote against it.”

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