White House says Biden will VETO controversial $886 billion ‘anti-woke’ Republican defense bill that limits access to abortion for troops if it passes the Senate

President Joe Biden will veto a bill passed by House Republicans if it is presented to him, the White House announced Monday.

Democrats have warned it will hurt military recruiting because it restricts access to abortion for troops, restricts transgender care and bans diversity issues.

It marks a partisan twist on the National Defense Authorization Act, which is usually routinely passed.

“The administration strongly opposes the House’s approval of H.R. 4366, extending appropriations to military construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and for other purposes,” the White House said in a statement.

“If the president got HR 4366, he would veto it.”

The White House also said Biden will veto an agricultural spending bill accusing House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of waiving agreed spending levels during debt limit talks.

It comes after the House passed Defense Bill 219 to 210 earlier this month to set up a showdown in the Senate over amendments that, among other things, would prohibit military enlistment to consider diversity, equality and inclusion.

Republicans have introduced several amendments on social issues as part of their effort to remove what they see as “awakened” policies from the armed forces.

That included an amendment from Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, to ban the Pentagon from helping pay for travel for abortion services.

So did someone to ban military health care from paying for gender reassignment surgeries.

The White House announced its intention last week.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby defended scathingly when asked whether access to abortion was essential to military preparedness.

“I’m really glad you asked that question,” said Kirby, admiral in the Navy.

“I’m really glad you asked that question,” Kirby, who is an admiral in the Navy, said in response to a question about whether the policy was necessary for military readiness.

He said for all-volunteer service, it was part of the contract between military leaders and the men and women who volunteered to serve.

“Whether it’s women in the military, one in five, or female family members who can count on the kinds of health and reproductive care they specifically need,” he said at the White House briefing, “that’s a fundamental sacred obligation of military leaders across the river.”

The Pentagon, across the Potomac in Virginia, has often been targeted by conservatives for building a sort of diverse military force that reflects the nation.

Kirby pointed out that one in five military personnel is now a woman

Kirby said staff couldn’t choose where they served, which meant they could be sent to Alabama, for example, where abortion has been restricted since the Supreme Court struck down protections from Roe v Wade.

‘What are you doing? Will you say no and leave?’ he asked.

“Well, some people might decide to do that. And what does that mean?

‘Then we lose talent, important talent.’

Four Democrats voted in favor of the bill – Representatives Don Davis, NC, Jared Golden, Maine, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Washington, and Representative Gabriel Vazquez, NM. Four Republicans – Ken Buck, Andy Biggs, Eli Crane and Thomas Massive – voted against.

In his statement, the White House also said Biden would veto a separate bill for agricultural and health spending if it reached his desk.

On a separate bill for agriculture and health spending, the White House, which Biden is also threatening to veto, the White House explained what

“The bills also contain numerous new, partisan policies with devastating consequences, including endangering access to reproductive health care, threatening the health and safety of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex Americans (LGBTQI+), endangering marriage equality, obstructing critical climate change initiatives, and preventing the government from promoting diversity, equity and inclusion,” it said.