House GOP military funding bill rejected by Biden over abortion and diversity provisions

House Republicans passed a bill that affects veterans' funding and abortion access. The bill stops the Department of Veterans Affairs from providing abortion counseling and procedures in certain cases. This overturns a rule from the Biden administration that allowed abortion care in specific situations. Democrats are against these changes and have been pushing for votes on reproductive rights issues. Republicans believe that the military should not be involved in providing abortions and want to limit certain healthcare services. They argue that taxpayer money should not be used for abortions. However, it is unlikely that these restrictions will stay in the bill in the end. Senate Republicans are not planning to bring up the issue of abortion policy in the defense bill negotiations. Some Republicans see the current policy as unconstitutional. They tried to repeal it last year but were unsuccessful. The focus now is on other priorities for the military. President Biden is expected to veto the Republican proposal for funding military construction and the Department of Veterans Affairs. The White House criticized the bill for having partisan policy provisions that could harm various areas like healthcare and climate change initiatives. The bill also includes restrictions on the VA regarding abortion counseling, gender transition procedures, and COVID-19 vaccine mandates. The Biden administration is against these changes and the realignment of military construction funding. The bill passed in the House but faces challenges in the Senate.