It’s no secret that the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is a highly controversial piece of legislation. This year has been particularly contentious as it contains provisions addressing cultural and social issues that have prompted some conservative lawmakers to call for amendments.
Now, there’s another hurdle the bill must clear before it can pass: Representative Tony Gonzales (R-Texas).
Rep. Tony Gonzales isn’t known for following party lines; he has broken with his party on previous bills in the past. Now, he has indicated that he will vote against a rule required to move this year’s NDAA forward.
As mentioned above, these types of votes are usually partisan but with Republicans having such a small majority in the House, even just one defector could prevent them from advancing the bill.
The NDAA contains several controversial measures which conservatives are seeking to amend or reverse entirely. These include bans on drag shows and training modules teaching critical race theory at military bases, travel reimbursement for service members seeking abortions outside their home state, diversity initiatives, climate change initiatives and more.
All of these topics have become increasingly divisive between Democratic and Republican lawmakers, making passage of the NDAA especially difficult this year given how many amendments have already been filed for consideration.
Despite all these roadblocks, Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is still confident that the House will be able to pass this version of NDAA eventually – though he did not specify a timeline as to when this might happen.
For now, all we know is that Rep. Tony Gonzales is threatening not to vote on any rule vote which would bring it forward if changes aren’t made first – something which could further delay its passage if enough of the other GOP lawmakers join him in voting “no.”
