KEY VOTE: “YES” on the Jackson/Roy amendment (#5, Rule II) to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (H.R. 2670)

After the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs, President Biden declared his intent to further his pro-abortion agenda through every means possible. In October 2022, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin issued a memo outlining new policies—without established authority from Congress—to use taxpayer funding for time off, lodging, and travel expenses for elective abortions. To implement the stated goals of the memo, the Department of Defense (DoD) unilaterally released directed policies on February 16, 2023.

Put simply, these new DoD policies are taxpayer funding for an abortion. They are a clear violation of the Hyde amendment, a policy Biden claimed to support over most of his political career. Biden is failing in his responsibility as Commander in Chief by playing politics with our military in order to score points with far-Left voters.

Consideration of the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) offers an important opportunity to reestablish the integrity of DoD’s mission to provide military forces needed to deter war and secure our nation. The American people expect the military to focus on effective combat and warfighting—not fighting culture wars. Unfortunately, President Biden and Secretary Austin have unnecessarily dragged the military into the middle of divisive political issues and attempted to shift resources to advance an unrelated, partisan, ideological agenda. The House of Representatives now has the responsibility and obligation to address these egregious violations of law through the NDAA and revert policy back to the norm.

The Biden administration politicized the NDAA when the DoD began using taxpayer dollars to fund travel expenses and paid time off for service members and their families to receive elective abortions. This move bypassed Congress, the federal rulemaking process, and violated longstanding federal law. The policy must be fully repealed through the NDAA, allowing a “clean” bill to move forward.

When the Executive unlawfully wields power, it is the duty of the people’s Legislature to rein in the abuse and return policy back to the voters’ will. Heritage Action urges members of Congress to pass the Jackson/Roy amendment, de-politicize the military, and preserve America’s decades-long policy of ensuring taxpayer dollars are not used to fund abortions.