White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that the House Republican-passed NDAA was never going to make it to President Biden’s desk.
Video:
Biden National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan says the House passed NDAA has no chance, “This legislation is never getting to the president’s desk.” pic.twitter.com/0XElaiKCx0
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) July 16, 2023
Sullivan said on CNN’s State Of The Union:
This national defense bill would eliminate funding for service members’ travel to states where abortion is legal, block Well, this legislation is never getting to the president’s desk, because what you have seen from an extreme group of Republicans is to put forward a set of amendments that try to mix domestic social debates with the needs, the security needs, of our nation.
…
Jake, at end of the day, this Defense Authorization Act, Jake, from my perspective, is really about a bipartisan exercise in defending America, defending Americans’ national security.
And, historically, year after year, you have seen the Defense Authorization Act pass with overwhelming bipartisan majorities. We should not walk away from that. This should be an area where politics stops and national security starts. And we believe that, at the end of the day, after the Senate has done its work, after the Senate has come back together with the House, we will end up in a place where there is a broad bipartisan bill that can go to the president’s desk that he can sign.
That is what is necessary for our men and women in uniform and to keep faith with the American people our fundamental duty to keep them safe.
House Republicans used the NDAA as a political prop. They stuffed the legislation full of unpopular culture war ideas that will never pass the Senate.
Kevin McCarthy has made a usually bipartisan process hostile and difficult by caving to the far right and adding Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who isn’t on the Armed Services Committee, to the NDAA conference committee.
House Republicans have turned one of the most non-controversial responsibilities of Congress into partisan warfare. Just like on the debt limit, House Republicans aren’t going to get what they want.
Sullivan was correct. The House GOP passed NDAA was dead from the second it passed, and it has zero chance of ever becoming law.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
