WASHINGTON — The U.S. House on Wednesday signed off on the National Defense Authorization Act, but far fewer Democrats voted in favor of the massive policy package because of an eleventh-hour insertion of antitransgender language.
The legislation includes pay raises for members of the military: a 14.5% raise for junior officers and 4.5% for everyone else. And there is $379.3 million tabbed for seven military construction projects in Georgia, as well as new funding to help military spouses find jobs and families afford child care.
In all, the NDAA would increase defense spending by 1%. But it was the inclusion of language banning transgender medical treatments for children of military members in cases that could result in sterilization that turned off many Democrats.
The final vote was 281-140, with 16 Republicans and 124 Democrats opposed. Four Georgia lawmakers voted against the measure: Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome; Hank Johnson, D-Lithonia; David Scott, D-Atlanta; and Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta.
Greene released a statement after the vote that said she opposed the bill because she believes defense spending needs to be audited to identify waste and because the antitransgender provisions added by Speaker Mike Johnson don’t go far enough.
As passed by the House, the bill would prohibit the federal government from paying for any treatment for transgender children of military personnel that could result in sterilization, but other types of gender-affirming care are still allowed. The measure did not strike policies paying for service members to travel for abortions to states where the procedure is legal.
“This NDAA funds abortion vacations and transgender sex changes that no taxpayer should have to pay for,” Greene wrote. “The bill in its current form is just not something I can vote for in good conscience.”
Many of the Democrats who opposed the legislation said the ban on treatment for transgender kids, even with limited scope, was injecting a partisan “culture war” issue into what should be a noncontroversial defense policy package.
The bill now goes to the Senate, where it is likely to be taken up for a vote early next week. U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff said he wants to review the legislation before deciding whether the wins expected for Georgia, such as the pay raises for military personnel, outweigh any concerns he might have.
“I want to enact a strong defense authorization,” the Atlanta Democrat said. “I want us to do it on a bipartisan basis, so we’re going to see what the House sends over.”
The Georgia projects funded by the bill include $64 million for a battle management operations center at Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins, $78 million for the construction of an Army Reserve Center at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, and $115 million for an expansion of the submarine refit facility at Kings Bay Base on the Georgia coast.
Here’s how Georgia’s U.S. House delegation voted on the National Defense Authorization Act
“Yes”
U.S. Rep. Rick Allen, R-Augusta
U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Albany
U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-St. Simons Island
U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Athens
U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, R-Jackson
U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson, R-The Rock
U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Cassville
U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Marietta
U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Suwanee
U.S. Rep. Austin Scott, R-Tifton
“No”
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome
U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Lithonia
U.S. Rep. David Scott, D-Atlanta
U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta
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