The House is poised to vote this week on its first two appropriations bills of the 2024 fiscal year, setting up another spending battle as Republicans seek to inject a number of amendments targeting what they consider to be culture war issues.
The House Rules Committee will meet on Tuesday to decide which amendments will advance to the floor for a vote later this week, requiring lawmakers to sift through a lengthy list of proposals to be included in the annual military and veterans bill as well as the agriculture appropriations bill, legislation that typically avoid controversy or partisanship. This year, however, hard-line conservatives are pressing to include a number of amendments that are sure to decimate Democratic support, putting House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in a bind as he attempts to please all factions of his caucus.
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One of the more high-profile amendments being considered this week has to do with abortion. Republicans seek to restrict access to the procedure further. An amendment proposed by Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) to be included in the military and veterans bill would prevent the Department of Veterans Affairs from using its funds to pay for abortions even if the pregnancy was caused by rape or incest.
Mask mandates are also returning to the forefront this week. A handful of Republicans introduced amendments cracking down on any remaining COVID-19 requirements. A proposal from Reps. Matt Rosendale (R-MT) and Keith Self (R-TX) would block the military from enforcing any pandemic-related mask mandate, while Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) is seeking to ban the use of masks in nonsurgical areas of the VA altogether.
Meanwhile, LGBT issues and gender-affirming care are prevalent in both appropriations bills up for debate this week.
There are at least two amendments included in the military and veterans bill seeking to crack down on gender issues, including one proposal that would prohibit funding for gender-affirming surgical procedures or hormone therapies. Boebert also submitted an amendment that would block funds from being used for a VA program titled "Managing Gender Diversity in the Department of Veterans."
The agriculture appropriations bill includes a number of similar amendments related to gender and LGBT issues, such as proposals to block funding for gender-affirmation surgeries.
The proposals represent an emerging trend in the GOP-led spending bills: Republicans seeking to inject their own agenda into routine legislation that typically attracts support from both sides of the aisle.
Congress has until the end of September to pass its annual budget before the new fiscal year begins on Oct. 1, or else lawmakers risk a government shutdown. Budget disagreements typically drag out as both parties fight to include their own priorities, with a final deal often not made until the eleventh hour after a marathon voting session.
However, that process has been made even more complicated this year. Some Freedom Caucus members are already signaling opposition to the spending levels agreed to in the debt limit deal and threatening to vote against budget legislation unless spending levels are cut. Those sentiments are likely to put the House on a collision course with Senate Democrats, who are likely drafting budgets with a much larger number.
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Meanwhile, McCarthy has continued to express confidence in the House’s ability to pass its budget before the end of September.
“We will get our bills passed, like I said we will — this is a new Congress with new leadership," McCarthy told reporters last week, brushing off concerns that conservatives would hold up the process. “The most important thing is not the Freedom Caucus. It’s America.”