This blog originally appeared at LGBTQ NATION.
They aim to prohibit transgender children from participating in sports and prevent Joe Biden from eliminating your gas stove.
The House Freedom Caucus, representing the far-right, directed a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), insisting on the retention of their conservative riders in the yet-to-be-passed significant spending bills for 2024 by Congress. Among their stipulations are various anti-LGBTQ+ measures.
House Republicans have appended anti-LGBTQ+ provisions to numerous prominent spending bills in Congress. These measures encompass actions such as abolishing LGBTQ+ anti-discrimination protocols at federal agencies or mandating the cessation of Pride content on social media platforms by the Federal Aviation Authority. As these amendments pertain not to fiscal expenditure but were nevertheless affixed to appropriations bills, they are referred to as riders.
Instead of approving bills to finance the federal government, moderate Republicans aligned with Democrats in endorsing continuing resolutions to maintain federal funding until March, thereby averting a government shutdown. As the deadline looms, the House Freedom Caucus expresses concern that their riders might be stripped from the appropriations bills to secure passage through the Democratic-controlled Senate.
In their letter, the Freedom Caucus voices apprehension about the imminent expiration of government funding and ongoing closed-door negotiations. They anticipate the last-minute release of text for potential omnibus legislation, which they fear will be hastily brought to the floor for a vote. The caucus asserts that House Republicans should be kept informed about spending levels and the status of contentious policy provisions.
Included in the letter is a catalog of riders deemed essential by the House Freedom Caucus. These encompass endeavors to cease taxpayer-funded gender transition surgeries or “gender affirming care,” halt funding for perceived radical “Diversity, Equality, Inclusion” (DEI) Executive Orders and related bureaucratic offices promoting DEI and “Critical Race Theory” training and policies, and prohibit regulations mandating biological boys’ inclusion in girls’ sports competitions, as well as federal funding for schools permitting biological men to participate in women-only sports.
Among the non-LGBTQ+ demands made by the Freedom Caucus are endeavors to counter “Biden’s absurd and destructive bans on gas stoves and other appliances” (clarification: Biden never banned gas stoves), obstruct “Biden’s attempts to dismantle, demolish, remove, or damage existing border wall” (Biden is expanding the wall), and bar “funding for COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates across the government.”
“The letter emphasizes that there are numerous other policies and personnel that Congress should refrain from funding. Failure to address these concerns will diminish the likelihood of garnering support for the appropriations bills, even from a majority of Republicans.”
One of the 2024 appropriations bills that has successfully passed is the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), responsible for funding the military. To reconcile the bill with the Senate version, most of the anti-LGBTQ+ riders were omitted, sparking outrage among many House Republicans. Despite this, it managed to pass with 73 Republicans voting against it in the House, receiving significant support from House Democrats.
The House Freedom Caucus is exerting pressure from the right on Johnson to prevent a recurrence of a similar outcome for other appropriations bills. However, this move might inadvertently incentivize Johnson to collaborate more closely with Democrats to ensure the bills are passed and avoid a government shutdown.
Congress has already enacted three continuing resolutions to extend the deadline for passing these funding bills. According to The Hill, there are already discussions among some House members regarding the possibility of another continuing resolution.
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