76 Republicans Vote To Keep Carveouts For Groups Who Do Child Sex Changes In Spending Package
The House of Representatives overwhelmingly rejected a measure Thursday night that would eliminate $1.3 billion from a government funding program.
Lawmakers voted 291-136 on the amendment proposed by leading fiscal hawk, South Carolina Republican Ralph Norman, falling short of a majority. Norman’s amendment would have struck down all provisions of the Labor-Health and Human Services (HHS) bill, which provided funding for several entities performing gender reassignment procedures for minors and late-term abortions. (RELATED: Senate Conservatives Remove ‘Gateway Drug’ Allowances From Government Funding Bills)
“These measures go against every known conservative value,” Norman said on the House floor Thursday before the vote.
The vote notably split the House Republican conference with 136 Republican lawmakers voting “yes” and 76 Republicans joining all Democrats who voted to oppose efforts to strip allocations from the funding plan.
Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole, the Republican’s top appropriator, was among the Republican lawmakers who voted against Norman’s amendment.
Nine Republicans did not vote — including House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer and Kentucky Republican Rep. Andy Barr — despite many of them showing up during the marathon voting session.
Heritage Action urged Republicans to vote “yes” and criticized Republican lawmakers for inserting their own brands into the bill.
“By demanding their own allocations, Republicans have opened the door for Democrats to direct taxpayer funds to entities engaged in practices that most GOP voters find abhorrent,” Heritage Action wrote.
The Labor-HHS bill passed the Senate on Thursday as part of a broader government funding package, by a vote of 341 to 88. The package now heads to the Senate, where conservative members could try to delay the funding bills because of the inclusion of earmarks.
One measure heavily criticized by conservatives would be to allocate $2 million to Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, California, for “pediatric mental health services.” The hospital — the only pediatric medical center in San Diego County — operates a “Gender Affirming Care Center,” which performs a variety of gender reassignment procedures, according to the nonprofit Do No Harm.
“Funds used for pediatric mental health will almost certainly be used to sponsor children’s gender transition or at least free up other funds for this effort,” analysts at the conservative Economic Policy Innovation Center (EPIC) wrote Tuesday.
Conservative Republicans also announced a $3 million allocation to Minnesota’s Hennepin Health System to build a substance use disorder treatment clinic. The hospital system also runs a pediatric clinic offering puberty blockers and hormone therapies to children.
Another notable allocation, requested by Massachusetts Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, would be to allocate $375,000 for “arts education” at the Massachusetts-based Jacob’s Pillow Dance Center. The organization says the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) “animate our mission and inform the vitality of our daily operations.”
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 23: Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) walks down the steps of the House of Representatives at the U.S. Capitol on July 23, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Norman reintroduced legislation in January that would permanently ban earmarks in government funding bills.
“For too long, earmarks have become a way for Washington insiders to direct taxpayer dollars to pet projects instead of prioritizing fiscal responsibility,” Norman said in a statement.
House Speaker Mike Johnson touted his efforts to return the House to normal order and pass all 12 appropriations bills before the Jan. 30 funding deadline.
“A lot of people, and I think a lot in this room, have argued that this can’t be done — that a regular appropriations process is a thing of the past,” Johnson said at a news conference Wednesday. “I’m happy to report that all of those predictions were completely wrong, and we got there.”
“Once we pass the final batch this week, Republicans will have finally replaced the last Biden-era spending level with Trump-era spending levels,” Johnson continued. “No more budgets negotiated by Biden and Pelosi. We have turned this page and we will not go back.”
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