One hundred percent of Congressional Democrats this week voted against a Veteran’s Affairs funding bill, citing concerns over transgender care and abortion. The bill, which passed broadly along party lines with just two Republicans voting ‘no’, now passes to the Senate where it is expected to die on arrival over the same issues Democrats raised in the House of Representatives. The bill increases funding for veterans above current levels, and adds $130 billion for veterans’ medical care, but the Biden White House said that while it “appreciates” the increase of spending for veterans and military construction projects, the GOP bill does not allow for taxpayer funded abortions, nor “provide hormone therapies for the purpose of gender-affirming care.” As a result, parties will have to work out differences on the matter in conference later this year, while Joe Biden himself has threatened to veto the plan to increase support for veterans over both abortion and transgenderism. On Thursday, Democrat Congresswoman Cori Bush used up time on the House floor shouting, “Your bills are racist!” at Congressman Steve Scalise, with specific reference to the military construction and veteran spending bill. She did not explain how the bill was “racist” but simply tweeted an emoji after the fact, adding, “I said what I said.”
