Virginia Republican calls votes against Pentagon spending bill ‘unacceptable and offensive’

Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) railed against her Republican colleagues for blocking the Pentagon spending bill, labeling the move as “unacceptable and offensive.”

“Today’s actions by five members of my own party – in coordination with every Democrat – are unacceptable and offensive. Every lawmaker who cast a no vote willingly chose to deprive our Armed Forces of the resources and tools they need to confront emerging threats across the globe,” she said in a statement.

“My grandfather served, my father served, I served, my husband served, my children are serving.…I know firsthand how much our brave men and women in uniform sacrifice for our safety and our freedoms. They deserve better than this,” she added.

Five House conservatives voted against advancing a Pentagon funding bill Tuesday, joining Democrats to block the rule for the appropriations bill. This prevented the House from debating the legislation on the floor and from eventually voting on whether to pass it. 

Republican Reps. Dan Bishop (N.C.), Ralph Norman (S.C.), Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Matt Rosendale (Mont.) and Ken Buck (Colo.) all broke from the party during the rule vote, largely due to their demand to see spending levels cut across all 12 appropriations bills. This right-wing coalition of Republicans has suggested that they will hold up approving the appropriations bills until the GOP leadership meets their demands.

Kiggans called on Republicans to pass the Pentagon appropriations bill immediately.

“This type of governing is as irresponsible as it is destructive. Government is not a game. We MUST pass this bill without further delay,” she said.

Other Republicans expressed outrage at the far-right flank of the GOP on Tuesday. Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.), a former Navy fighter pilot, told reporters following the vote on the rule that he was “pissed off.”

“What we just saw with these five individuals was them adding, effectively, their name to that list that are enabling Chairman Xi right now, who’s looking at this with a sign of relief that we didn’t just get this DOD package to the floor,” Garcia said.

Emily Brooks contributed.