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The amendment still passed, but the vote shows how a genuine national security threat has been turned into partisan football.
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The House has approved an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to compel government officials to prepare a report on combating white supremacists and neo-Nazi activity in the police and military, despite every Republican voting against the measure.
The amendment, sponsored by Rep. Brad Schneider, was passed in a 218-208 party-line vote on Wednesday. All 208 votes against the amendment came from House Republicans, one of whom described it as “Orwellian.”
The “Schneider Amendment” called for the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Secretary of Defense to publish a report that sets out ways to combat white supremacist and neo-Nazi activity in the uniformed services and law enforcement agencies “not later than 180 days after enactment and every 6 months thereafter.”
A Utah National Guard soldier has his rifle at the ready as he patrols at the Utah State Capitol building in Salt Lake City, Utah, on January 17, 2021. An amendment to monitor white supremacy in the military and law enforcement has been passed.GEORGE FREY/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
The amendment also states that the report the government is being asked to write should detail how agency leaders responded to “planned or effectuated incidents” connected to white supremacist or neo-Nazi activity,” according to a report in The Hill.
“We just voted to combat neo nazis in our military and every single republican voted no,” tweeted New Jersey Democratic congressman Bill Pascrell after the amendment was passed.
Speaking on the House floor, Schneider noted how the U.S. has seen a surge in domestic extremist incidents, such as the deadly 2017 neo-Nazi “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018.
He also highlighted a report published in May from the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency entitled The Insider Threat and Extremist Activity Within the DoD, which detailed examples of military personnel being found to have held extremist views.
“Such behavior, such extremism is a threat to us in all segments of society. There is no reason to believe that our military is any different,” Schneider said during debate on the House floor.
“These are exceptions, they are rare, but we must do everything we can to identify them and to thwart them before risks become a reality.”
Arizona GOP congressman Andy Biggs was one of those who spoke out against the amendment, describing it as “Orwellian in nature.”
“This amendment attempts to create a problem where none exists by requesting investigations into law enforcement and the armed services for alleged rampant white supremacists or white national sympathies,” Biggs said.
The House is now expected to pass the full NDAA. It will then be passed over to the Senate, where it could be stripped down.
New Guidelines
In December 2021, the Pentagon issued new guidelines on activities that qualify as extremism amid concerns that service members took part in the January 6 attack at the Capitol.
The update included supporting the overthrowing of the government and “liking” or sharing extremist views on social media.
Last February, the Pentagon released another report warning of the prominence of white supremacist ideology inside the military.
The report, first obtained by RollColl, detailed one case in which a Florida National Guard member who was part of a neo-Nazi group, bragged in an online forum with other white supremacists that he was “100% open about everything” regarding his far-right support to his colleagues during his training.
“They know about it all. They love me too cause I’m a funny guy,” he wrote.
218-208: House adopts Schneider (D-IL) amdt on party-line vote to #FY23NDAA defense bill directing FBI,DHS & DoD to "publish a report that analyzes & sets out strategies to combat White supremacist & neo-Nazi activity in the uniformed services & Federal law enforcement agencies." pic.twitter.com/QAl3kSW31w
And the hate continues and the attacks on trans people will increase. There is no reason for this other than othering and demonizing these people. I wish the public would see what the Republicans are doing and look how historically they have done it over and over through history. It has been done about gays, Catholics, Muslims, ethnic Irish people, blacks, the Mexicans, and anyone not straight white males that fit the majority has been treated to this hate and attempt to stir up hate against groups all for political advantage because they know their base followers are racist bigots and will endorse / vote for politicians that hate the same people they do. I am tired of the rising hate, it is time consuming and emotionally draining to see normal good people and children attacked because they are born different from the hateful majority. But as long as I can I will stand up for those that are not able to stand up to defend themselves. Hugs
Critics say the legislation could make it even more difficult for transgender people to access health care that’s recommended by major medical organizations.
Kevin McCarthy attends a House Republican Conference news confernce on Capitol Hill, in Washington, on Jan. 20, 2022.Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images file
By Reuters
U.S. Republicans in Congress are lining up behind legislation that critics say would roll back protections for transgender people, setting a playbook for action on a divisive social issue should they take control of Congress this fall.
Republicans in the House of Representatives have introduced a bill that would block federal funding to colleges where transgender women are allowed to participate in sports with cisgender women. A separate bill would allow transgender people to sue medical personnel who helped them transition as minors.
Another bill would block funding to schools that disobey state laws regarding “materials harmful to minors,” mimicking state laws that have been used to remove books discussing history around race and LGBTQ themes.
The bills have support from key Republicans in the House and Senate. Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has promoted the sports bill at a press conference and in a conservative newspaper. It is backed by 127 of 211 House Republicans.
**Editor note. There is a video here of the exchange between the professor that I can not post. To view it please go to the link of the article. Thanks, hugs. **
In the Senate, five Republicans have sponsored a version of the bill targeting medical providers, including Senators Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley and Marco Rubio.
Republicans would be in a position to advance those bills next year if they win control of the House or the Senate in the Nov. 8 midterm elections, which analysts say is likely.
“I hope these are legislative initiatives that we can pass when we get the majority back,” said Rep. Jim Banks, who sponsored the medical providers bill and represents a district in Indiana, which banned transgender students from playing on girls’ sports teams at schools this May.
Fears of discrimination
Critics say the legislation proposed by House Republicans would reduce access to care needed by transgender people to transition. Transgender people are significantly more likely to attempt or commit suicide, often due to lack of access to gender-affirming medical care, according to the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ advocacy group.
Banks called such criticism “outrageous” and said he did not see how his legislation would contribute to an unsafe environment for transgender people.
Violence against LGBTQ people has also increased fourfold between 2020 and 2021 in the United States, according to ACLED, a nonpartisan organization that tracks violence globally. The increase occurred during a three-year uptick in anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in state legislatures, according to the Human Rights Campaign.
“There has always been fringe voices who oppose LGBTQ equality, but now, unfortunately, that fringe has grown loud and is being given national platforms,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, president of GLAAD, a LGBTQ advocacy group.
** Another video **
Sixty-four percent of Americans support protecting trans people from discrimination, according to a June poll from Pew Research Center; 10% oppose protections.
Eighteen Republican-led states have enacted bans on trans girls and women participating in publicly funded women’s sports, while more than a dozen have introduced legislation mimicking Florida’s law limiting classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender, according to the Human Rights Campaign.
Advocates are pushing Democrats to do more to enshrine protections into law before the November elections, but they face uncertain prospects in the evenly divided Senate.
“If we lose the House or the Senate I think it’s really unlikely we’ll be able to prevent discrimination” at the federal level, said Fran Hutchins, executive director of Equality Federation.
If You Can’t Get an Abortion on Land, Can You Get One on a Boat?
A doctor explains her long-brewing plan to set up a floating clinic in the Gulf of Mexico.
Scottie's Playtime 