House Republicans have successfully passed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would block the Pentagon from reimbursing military members who have to travel out of state to undergo an abortion.
The amendment, which passed on a 221-213 vote, was rejected by all but one Democratic member of the House—Texas Congressman Henry Cuellar, an outspoken abortion opponent—sided with his Republican colleagues Thursday afternoon.
A GOP-backed measure to block the Pentagon from covering gender-affirming care for military families also passed on Thursday. Both amendments could spell trouble later on for the defense bill, which will require Democratic support in order to move past the narrowly divided House.
Democratic Representative Henry Cuellar, right, is pictured November 30, 2022, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Cuellar broke with his party on Thursday to back an amendment that would ban the Pentagon from covering abortion travel expenses. Drew Angerer/Getty
The Department of Defense (DoD) first announced changes to its health care policies in the fall, just three months after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Under the new guidelines, service members and their dependents are reimbursed for any expenses they incur while traveling to receive an abortion. Military members can also request time off without loss of pay to receive reproductive health care.
Texas Representative Ronny Jackson, who backed the amendment, tweeted after Thursday’s vote that undoing the DoD’s policy on abortion care was “a GREAT DAY for our country.”
“My amendment to STOP Biden from using the DOD to pay for abortion travel PASSED,” Jackson wrote. “This policy is ILLEGAL, and soon, it will be GONE.”
But Katherine Clark, Democratic whip and Massachusetts representative, called the decision to “strip reproductive health care away from our service members” an example of “tyranny,” and condemned her Republican counterparts during a speech on the House floor.
“The MAGA majority is using our defense bill to get one stop closer to the only thing they really care about: a nationwide abortion ban,” Clark said.
Cuellar has not spoken publicly about his decision to support the amendment. Newsweek reached out to his press team via email Thursday evening for comment.
Under the Hyde Amendment, federal funding is mostly prohibited for abortion costs; the DoD only covers the procedure in cases of rape, incest or if the life of the mother is at risk. According to a memorandum written by Assistant Attorney General Christopher Schroeder in October, however, the Pentagon “may lawfully expend funds to pay for service members and their dependents to travel to obtain abortions that DoD cannot itself perform.”
A spokesperson for the Defense Department previously told Newsweek that providing service members with both travel expenses and paid time off for reproductive procedures “ensures Service members are able to access care regardless of where they are stationed.”
Two Republicans—Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and John Duarte of California—voted against undoing the Pentagon’s abortion policy. A separate amendment to the NDAA proposed by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene that would cut $300 million in Ukraine funding was rejected on Thursday.
The One Democrat Who Voted With Republicans to Block Military Abortions
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