Republicans in Congress have adopted a series of amendments targeting access to abortion and gender-affirming care that could threaten to derail efforts to pass the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). On Friday, July 14, the U.S. House of Representatives passed its version of the defense funding bill, with several conservative amendments, including five taking aim at restricting access to abortion-related reproductive services or gender-affirming care, intact. In response to pressure from social conservatives within the Republican House caucus, Speaker Kevin McCarthy brought forth a series of controversial conservative amendments, which were tacked onto the defense bill on a largely party-line vote. Republicans also approved two transgender-related amendments. One would prohibit the health insurance program for active-duty service members from covering the cost of gender confirmation surgery and hormone treatments for transgender individuals. Another amendment, from U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, would block military schools from purchasing or having “pornographic and radical gender ideology books” in their libraries. Democrats have criticized the amendments as a “poison pill” and threatened to withhold their support if the amendments remain intact. The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has also called upon members of the House of Representatives to reject extremist attempts to attach anti-LGBTQ+ amendments to the NDAA. #Queer Up Politics