The National Defense Authorization Act passed the House on Friday with a litany of culturally conservative amendments attached that some House members are touting as proof of the GOP conference’s ability to govern.

“We dealt a major blow to the Biden regime’s efforts to politicize our military,” Congresswoman Lauren Boebert announced after the passage of the bill. “When we use the leverage the American people have given we can deliver on the conservative promises we all got here on.”

The bill passed narrowly in the House, with four Democrats joining Republicans in voting for it and four Republicans joining Democrats in voting against it.

Ms. Boebert — who fought to limit bills to single issues during the speaker elections in January — added, “This is the most conservative NDAA that I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with.”

“We have a ban on funding for drag queen shows, we have a ban on funding for critical race theory, abolishing the DoD’s chief diversity officer position, empowering military parents to know what’s going on in on-base schools,” Ms. Boebert said.

Among the litany of culturally conservative amendments added to the NDAA is a ban on the military covering gender affirming care, a ban on the military reimbursing members for travel costs associated with abortion care, and rollbacks of the Pentagon’s diversity initiative.

The issue of funding for travel related to abortion is also of importance to Senator Tuberville, who has been holding up all military appointments before the Senate over the issue.

“Now he’s got support, he’s got backup here in the House,” Congressman Ronny Jackson, who sponsored the abortion-related amendment, said. 

A spokesman for Mr. Tuberville tells the Sun that the senator still wants the policy dropped separately, either through the administration or through passage of a stand-alone law.

The Democratic leaders of the House Armed Services Committee, which authored the unamended version of the bill, said of the congressional Republicans’ efforts: “What was once an example of compromise and functioning government has become an ode to bigotry and ignorance.”

“The bill we passed out of committee sent a clear, united message to our allies and partners, global competitors, and the American people that democracy still works, and Congress is still functional,” the committee Democrats said in a statement.

Congressman Eli Crane defended his amendment, which was aimed at rolling back diversity initiatives in the military, saying, “Its strength is not its diversity. Its strength is its standards.”

“The military was never intended to be, you know, inclusive,” Mr. Crane said. “My amendment has nothing to do with whether or not colored people or Black people or anybody can serve.”

Although House conservatives had attempted to include two amendments cutting American aid to Ukraine, they were voted down, 341 to 89 and 358 to 70.

The passage of the $886 billion NDAA in the House is a victory for Speaker McCarthy, as some had doubted his ability to guide the conference to approval of this must-pass legislation.

Aside from the many conservative amendments added to the bill, the NDAA would also provide a 5.2 percent increase in pay for service members if signed into law.

In its current form, though, the NDAA that passed the House stands almost no chance getting through the Senate.

The Senate has its own version of the NDAA, which passed the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday on a 24-to-1 vote. Both Senator Reed, the committee chairman, and Senator Wicker, the ranking member, lauded the bill as evidence of bipartisanship in the upper chamber.

“Senator Wicker and I worked together to pass a strong bill out of committee on a 24-1 vote,” Mr. Reed said. “I look forward to working with my colleagues on the floor to vote on amendments and pass a forward-looking NDAA that meets our defense needs now and in the future.”