Here’s another total waste of time that will do nothing to help them win re-election in November or illustrate anything about the Democrats. It’s just performative nonsense:
The House narrowly cleared defense policy legislation on Friday after Republicans tacked on divisive provisions restricting abortion access, medical treatment for transgender troops and efforts to combat climate change.
Speaker Mike Johnson’s move to permit culture war amendments to the annual National Defense Authorization Act turned a widely bipartisan bill into a measure supported almost entirely by Republicans. The tactic represented a gamble for Johnson, who could have pushed to pass a more bipartisan version with the help of Democrats, but instead catered to a sliver of his right flank.
That gamble ultimately paid off for Johnson as enough Republicans united to win the final vote. But the most conservative parts of the House defense bill stand no chance in the Senate, and the dispute likely won’t be sorted out until after the November elections.
It’s one thing to put up messaging bills to make a point. Both parties do that. But this is blowing up a bipartisan bill on an important issue in order to pander to a bunch of nutcases on the fringe. I guess the quasi-normal Gopers in the House just threw in the towel figuring there’s nothing they can do when these extremists decide to pitch a fit.