Spending is at the top of the GOP agenda as they look toward closing out their 118th congressional lame duck session, but some are more pleased with the results than others.

A recent 16-page House GOP memo demonstrates that Republican lawmakers are claiming victory on topics such as border security, green energy, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the annual defense policy measure of Congress, as Fox News reported.

On Saturday evening, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a 1,800-page bill, was published. It delineates the allocation of $895.2 billion for national security and defense.

"The [fiscal year 2025] NDAA builds upon the gains made in the FY24 NDAA to end the radical woke ideology being forced on our servicemen and women and restores the focus of our military on lethality," a page of the House Armed Services Committee’s memo on the bill said.

In the Bill

By prolonging a Pentagon hiring block on DEI-related posts and stopping all recruitment until "an investigation of the Pentagon’s DEI programs" is complete, the page pushing back against "woke ideology" declared the NDAA "guts DEI bureaucracy."

It prohibits the Defense Department from working with "that blacklist conservative news sources," the letter states. According to the memo, the NDAA cuts funding for the Biden administration's "Countering Extremist Activity Working Group" to combat military extremism.

Not authorized "any climate change programs," the yearly military policy bill forbids the Pentagon from releasing climate-based weapons system guidelines.

The document promoted the NDAA's "deployment of National Guard troops" to bolster Border Patrol at the southwest border, a Republican priority.

Human Rights Campaign Response

The Human Rights Campaign responded in frustration to the news that the FY25 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would prohibit the coverage of what they termed as "medically necessary healthcare for transgender youth who are the children of servicemembers," calling it "bullying."

“Instead of focusing on the needs of the American people and our national security, anti-equality House Republican leaders are hijacking a defense bill to play politics with the healthcare of children of servicemembers," said HRC President Kelley Robinson. “

"This is not leadership, it’s bullying, and it is a direct attack on military families. This discriminatory provision is a slap in the face to servicemembers and their families, who sacrifice every day for our country," she said.

"We ask our servicemembers to defend our country, and in return, we should defend their rights," she went on. "This cruel and hateful bill suddenly strips away access to medical care for families that members of our armed forces are counting on, and it could force servicemembers to choose between staying in the military or providing healthcare for their children. Politicians have no place inserting themselves into decisions that should be between families and their doctors. We call on members of Congress to do what's right and vote against this damaging legislation.”

Appropriations Committee's Take

The House Appropriations Committee, however, spoke to the legislation, calling the totality of the bill, the "price of protection."

The committee aid since it is the "responsibility of government is to ensure the safety of its citizens, and protecting Americans is the chief focus …" of the committee and chairman.