Jayapal: MAGA Republican NDAA Amendments ‘Cruel, Blindly Partisan, Extreme’

Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) said Friday on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” that MAGA Republicans’ amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) were “cruel, blindly partisan” and “extreme.”

Jayapal said, “This was a bill that became really an extreme MAGA Republican bill that was not designed in any way to be able to get bipartisan support. As you know, the top line of defense spending is always a challenge for Progressives, but this went far beyond that. Not only is it the highest top line number we’ve seen in a very long time, they’ve put in all sorts of amendments that were added at the last minute, that aim to move towards an abortion ban across the country, basically ban abortion care and reproductive care for service members, eliminate gender-affirming care for trans folks and eliminate DEI diversity, equity, and inclusion, which, as you know, we’re trying to build up our military, build up our troops. We need to have people from all over that represent different communities and we have trouble recruiting right now as it is. So, this was a bill designed to appease the MAGA extreme right wing of their party. It was terrible to see. I haven’t seen such a divided partisan vote in the entire time I’ve been in Congress.”

She added, “This is about life and death for our kids, to be able to get the care that they need and to be the heroes that they are in just trying to live their lives at a time that is incredibly difficult. So, yes, it’s personal to me. But I can tell you, there are Democrats and Republicans and Independents across the country who see this for what it is, a cruel, blindly partisan, extreme thing that Republicans are trying to pin their, you know, I guess what