Published July 13, 2023 6:28pm EDT
House votes to kill Pentagon’s controversial abortion travel policy
The vote was seen as critical to getting dozens of GOP lawmakers on board with the defense bill
By Elizabeth Elkind | Fox News
The House voted Thursday to terminate the Defense Department's policy of allowing servicemembers to travel across state lines to get an abortion and reimbursing them for their travel costs.
Lawmakers voted 221-213 in favor of an amendment to the annual defense policy bill from Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, that would force the Pentagon to end this policy. The Defense Department put the policy in place shortly after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade.
The House vote is a victory for conservatives who hinted that including the language in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was critical to their support for the entire bill. However, the language is certain to lead many Democrats to vote against the bill.
It would theoretically put House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in a tough spot when it comes to passing the NDAA. With just a razor-thin House majority, he can afford to lose no more than four votes for any legislation to pass without Democratic support. It's also not clear yet if hardliners in his conference will get everything they want in order to vote yes on the final bill.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-votes-kill-pentagons-controversial-abortion-travel-policy
