The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was one of Congress’s last vestiges of bipartisan unity. As our nation’s elected officials dig in their heels on just about everything these days, differences were often put aside to support America’s military.

Until now.

Today, the bill has become a multi-billion-dollar game of flinch, and those who have given everything to defend America are caught in the middle.

Once a bipartisan process, the NDAA barely passed the U.S. House this month. The reason: Republican members of Congress attached agenda-driven amendments to it, ranging from restrictions on military access to abortion services to banning the display of pride flags and books that address gender identity.

Party-line votes on defense spending measures send the wrong message to our troops. And it couldn’t come at a worse time, as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs struggles to address the needs of those who put their lives on the line to defend our country.

The VA has announced 10,000 staffing reductions for the next fiscal year — cutbacks that will burden an already stressed healthcare system and adversely impact those who........

© The Hill