It has been pointed out many times, that the great Rush Limbaugh used to say that, "The purpose of any military is to kill people and break things." But try telling that to Democrats. From Bill Clinton's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," to the rainbow-drenched fighting force of today, Democrats view the military, not as the last line of defense for America and her citizens, but as some sort of social experiment with captive subjects. 

When Republicans took control of the House of Representatives, and the nation's purse strings, many people thought the days of a woke military under the Biden administration might come to an end. But thanks to a handful of Republicans, Pride Month celebrations will continue in the U.S. military.

Here's the list of House Republicans who voted against the amendment:

Ken Buck of Colorado
Ken Calvert of California
Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon
John Curtis of Utah
Anthony D'Esposito of New York
John Duarte of California
Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania
Andrew Garbarino of…

— Alex Nitzberg (@alexnitzberg) September 29, 2023

Here's the list of House Republicans who voted against the amendment: 

Ken Buck of Colorado 

Ken Calvert of California 

Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon 

John Curtis of Utah

 Anthony D'Esposito of New York

 John Duarte of California 

Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania 

Andrew Garbarino of New York 

Tony Gonzales of Texas

 David Joyce of Ohio 

Thomas Kean, Jr. of New Jersey 

Kevin Kiley of California 

Nick LaLota of New York 

Michael Lawler of New York

 Nancy Mace of South Carolina 

Marcus Molinaro of New York 

Jay Obernolte of California

 Michelle Steel of California

On Wednesday, 18 House Republicans sided with Democrats and voted to kill an amendment to the 2024 Department of Defense budget 231-202, that would have ended taxpayers footing the bill for any Pentagon-sponsored Pride Month celebrations. The amendment was introduced by Texas Congressman Chip Roy (R), and even with a slim GOP majority in the House, the amendment failed with 18 Republicans siding with Democrats. Four House members declined to vote.

Pride month celebrations first began in the military under a Democrat administration -- the Obama administration. But in recent years, especially since Joe Biden became President, Pride month, usually in June, is an all-encompassing event that seems to take over everything in American society from sports to retail sales to yes, even the military. 

But celebrating the LGBTQ lifestyle has not been confined to June. Back in May, the Navy used a drag queen as a "digital ambassador," for recruiting in order to attract, “a wide range of potential candidates.” But with the Army missing its recruitment goal in 2022 by 15,000, and the Navy by 8,000 recruits, maybe that recruitment campaign might need a second look. 

Congressman Roy took to the House floor Wednesday to perhaps voice a bit of disappointment in his colleagues voting this amendment down, saying,

I’m sure the Chinese military is quaking in its boots with the rainbow-tipped bullets being tweeted around the world. I have very few constituents who disagree with this sentiment: that we should be focused on having a military that is designed to, when called upon, to blow stuff up and kill people in defense of this country as needed, and to be the best fighting force to accomplish that objective in the world.

“The Marines tweeted a Pride Month image with rainbow tipped bullets on a marine helmet”

“I'm sure the Chinese military is quaking in its boots with the rainbow tipped bullets being tweeted around the world!”

Rep. Roy takes on wokeness in the military🔥 pic.twitter.com/e4KwmTunDL

— Rep. Chip Roy Press Office (@RepChipRoy) September 27, 2023

Several of the Republicans who voted "no" gave explanations for their votes. Rep. Marcus Molinaro (R-NY) stated that,

I don’t support using taxpayer dollars for drag shows. I voted against that in the NDAA earlier this year and will work to keep that prohibition in policy. My position hasn’t changed and my only issue with this amendment was it was too broad and could be used to infringe on individual rights.

Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY) was also a 'no' vote and said,

I am part of the Republican Party who wants to end wokeness, stop drag queen story hours in our schools and military, but at the same time acknowledge and accept gay people — some of whom are my family, friends, and who served alongside me in the military with honor and integrity.

Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) drafted the fiscal year 2024 Defense Appropriations Bill, and, in a statement from his office, said that the bill was designed to, what he called, “stop[s] culture wars at the Pentagon, and, "focus[es] our military on winning actual wars." The statement continued by saying,

The bill prohibits the use of funds for events on military installations or as part of recruiting programs that bring discredit upon the military, such as a drag queen story hour for children or the use of drag queens as military recruiters.

Some of the other items in the original bill include prohibiting taxpayer funds from promoting or advancing Critical Race Theory, and stop the implementation of any Biden administration executive orders on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). The bill also includes two other very interesting elements. It prevents the Defense Department from labeling American free speech as "disinformation," and maybe the best part, it revokes the security clearance of the 50-plus individuals who signed a letter stating that information on the Hunter Biden laptop was "disinformation." 

Republicans are undoubtedly the champions of America's fighting men and women, and their votes regarding those men and women matter. To paraphrase Rep. Roy, they shouldn't be the ones providing the rainbow-tipped bullets.

So, look at how many Republicans voted against defunding pride events in the military! pic.twitter.com/C0rrgCx1Ao

— Beetle Bailey (@BeetleBailey04) September 27, 2023