00:00Tonight, a massive defense spending bill is heading to the Senate after it was approved by the House with polarizing
00:06amendments.
00:06Conservative House Republicans successfully adding provisions on hot-button social issues.
00:11Let's bring in CNN Capitol Hill reporter Melanie Zanona.
00:14Melanie, tell us more about the bill and what it says about the influence of the GOP's right wing.
00:19They certainly are having a moment with this bill.
00:21Yeah, absolutely, Jim.
00:22I mean, I think this says a lot about the Republican Party's influence and how much it is being pulled
00:27to the right by these hardline lawmakers.
00:30Keep in mind, this has been a historically bipartisan bill.
00:33GOP leadership was initially reluctant to put some of these controversial amendments on the House floor,
00:39knowing that it would repel Democratic support and even put some of their own members in a difficult position.
00:44But ultimately, Speaker Kevin McCarthy catered to his right flank like he has done time and time again this year.
00:50And the House ended up adopting a number of controversial hot-button issues,
00:55touching on everything from abortion to transgender rights to diversity, equity, and inclusion training.
01:00Now, McCarthy defended his decision to include these amendments.
01:03He said it's on Democrats for trying to force their social agenda at the Pentagon
01:07and that Republicans are just trying to rein that in and end the so-called wokeism in the military.
01:13But I asked Kevin McCarthy, what does this say about who is running the House?
01:17Are hardline Freedom Caucus members running the House?
01:20They went and took credit for being able to shape this bill in the way that they did.
01:24And McCarthy laughed and said, I don't think so.
01:27But Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries had a different take.
01:30Let's take a listen.
01:31Stop using taxpayer money to do their own wokeism.
01:35A military cannot defend themselves if you train them in woke.
01:39Extreme MAGA Republicans have hijacked a bipartisan bill that is essential to our national security
01:50and taken it over and weaponized it in order to jam their extreme right-wing ideology down the throats of
02:00the American people.
02:02So, an early preview there of what is likely to be a big clash between the House and Senate
02:08as they try to come up with an agreement on a final product, Jim.
02:11All right, Melanie Zinona, thank you very much.
02:14And joining me now to talk about this is Congressman Ro Khanna, the Deputy Whip of the Progressive Caucus.
02:19The California Democrat also serves on the House Armed Services Committee.
02:22Congressman, thanks for joining us.
02:24As you know, Speaker McCarthy is accusing Democrats who voted against this defense bill, like yourself,
02:29of putting politics over the country's servicemen and women.
02:32What's your response to that?
02:34Well, Chairman Milley disagrees with Speaker McCarthy.
02:39I mean, Chairman Milley said, in the military, we have to educate folks about reading all the different books.
02:46And it would be shameful for the military not to do that.
02:49So, what the Republicans are doing is disregarding the advice of military officers,
02:54putting in very divisive amendments that they can't read certain books, that they can't have reproductive rights.
03:01And you had all of the Democrats, many of them who actually voted for the bill in committee,
03:05now say we can't vote for the bill because it's too extreme.
03:09And Congressman, how concerned are you about Republicans eliminating diversity initiatives in the military?
03:15What sort of impact did that have if these amendments were to become law?
03:19Well, Jim, the military has historically been the leader in building a multiracial society.
03:27They led in integration.
03:29They've led in making sure that people have camaraderie.
03:32And then that carries on after their service.
03:35So, it's just sad that the Republicans would inject this kind of cultural warfare into the military.
03:42The military should be there to be protecting the country.
03:46And I guess it shouldn't be politicians arguing.
03:48Why don't we listen to the top military brass?
03:51They're the ones who are saying that the practices they have right now are working.
03:56And it sounds like this bill is dead on arrival in the Senate, maybe dead on departure in the Senate.
04:01What should the bipartisan compromise between the House and Senate look like, do you think?
04:06Well, first thing we have to also understand is the spending.
04:09Let's be clear, Jim.
04:10We are being gouged by defense contractors in terms of what taxpayers are being charged.
04:17Here's the question I have.
04:18We have almost a trillion dollar defense budget and we can't make enough artillery to give to Ukraine.
04:24We've had this war for almost a year and we've run out of money to have sufficient artillery in terms
04:30of steel of the top 15 companies.
04:32Nine of them are in China, not one in the United States.
04:35Where is this money going?
04:36We need accountability and we need to be building the industrial base and actually having things that are going to
04:41strengthen our national security.
04:42And would you vote for a final bill that had any of these GOP amendments?
04:46We're showing some of them on screen now, dismantling the Defense Department policy on abortion, eliminate Office of Diversity, Equity,
04:54Inclusion, ban critical race theory, ban radical gender ideology, as it's called in books and military schools, prohibit use of
05:02pride flag.
05:02I mean, would any of these amendments fly with you from that list scanning them?
05:07No.
05:08And I don't think they'll fly with colleagues.
05:11We're not going to sacrifice basic reproductive rights, basic rights for the LGBTQ community on a military budget, especially when
05:21the military leaders don't want to do that.
05:23And the Democrats don't do that.
05:24We don't add our priorities that are extraneous when we pass these defense bills.
05:30It's sad to see the Republicans doing this.
05:33And before I let you go, I want to get your reaction to a stunning congressman, a comment from Congressman
05:39Crane on the House floor during the debate over this bill.
05:42He's Republican from Arizona.
05:44Let's listen to this.
05:45My amendment has nothing to do with whether or not colored people or black people or anybody can serve.
05:51OK, it has nothing to do with color of your skin.
05:56Any of that stuff.
05:57I'd like to be recognized to have the words colored people stricken from the record.
06:04Yeah, Congressman, what went through your mind when you heard that?
06:08It was sad.
06:09I mean, I just thought we had gotten past this as a country.
06:14You know, I was standing outside the White House getting folks a White House tour.
06:18And there were some folks that they said to me, are you Lebanese?
06:21When I was introduced to the congressman, are you were you born in America?
06:25And I think it's just a reminder, those kind of comments, the comments I face, that race is still an
06:31issue in America.
06:32And we have to be honest about it.
06:34We don't have to condemn people if if they bring these things up.
06:39But we do have to condemn what their actions are and speak out equivocally against that and ask for to
06:45do better as a nation.
06:47All right, Congressman Ro Khanna of California.
06:49Thank you very much for your time.
06:50We appreciate it.
06:52All right.
06:52Coming up, Donald Trump's Republican rivals are courting religious conservatives in Iowa trying to gain traction and take advantage of
06:59his conspicuous absence.
07:01We'll go live to the home of the first Republican presidential contest of 2024.
07:05That's next.
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