The Republican-led House has narrowly passed an annual military spending bill packed with GOP priorities that have become hot-button issues for conservatives.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which squeaked through on a 219-210 vote, typically passes with broad bipartisan support. This time, only a handful of Democrats crossed the aisle to side with the Republicans, citing the measures targeted at abortion (it would ban military aid that’s provided to members seeking to terminate a pregnancy in another state) LGBTQ people (it would ban the military from covering gender-affirming care) and diversity (it would eliminate the military’s chief diversity officer and ban some diversity initiatives).

A defiant House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told reporters after the vote: “Sorry to disappoint you … Yes, it passed.”

McCarthy lambasted Democrats for voting against the bill, which also included pay raises for members of the military.

“Technically it’s a bipartisan bill,” McCarthy said.

It’s a big win for McCarthy and his allies who have harped on “wokeness” surrounding issues of LGBTQ and reproductive rights. It specifically affects members of the military but could be used as a blueprint for states or a campaign issue in the 2024 races.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) said the bill represents a pushback against “indoctrination attempts we’ve seen inside the Pentagon.” (The Hill) 

What’s next: The bill now heads to the Democrat-controlled Senate. The upper chamber passed its own version of the NDAA without the controversial amendments. Now lawmakers have to hash out some kind of agreement — one that President Biden won’t veto.

And they’re off: Immediately after the NDAA vote, most House members left D.C. to start the weekend.

Go deeper: Check out these stories from The Hill on the warning Democrats sent to GOP leaders and the GOP’s game plan prior to the vote.

After the vote: Click here to see how lawmakers voted.

As Republicans debated the NDAA into the evening Thursday, freshman Republican Rep. Eli Craine — speaking on the House floor — made a major faux pas: He referred to Black people as “colored people,” an outdated and offensive term. 

Craine has since apologized and said he “misspoke,” but he has drawn widespread rebuke, including his colleagues. 

Here’s what Crane said: “My amendment has nothing to do with whether or not colored people, or Black people, or anyone can serve, OK? It has nothing to do with [the] color of your skin, any of that stuff. What we want to preserve and maintain is the fact that our military does not become a social experiment.” 

Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) immediately called him out on it and later tweeted: “I am still in utter shock and disbelief that a Republican uttered the words ‘colored people’ in reference to African-American service members who sacrifice their lives for our freedom. I will not tolerate such racist and repugnant words in the House Chamber or anywhere in the Congress. That’s why I asked that those words be stricken from the record, which was done so by unanimous consent.” 

FALLOUT: Despite the offensiveness of the phrase and Crane’s apology for his words, some well-known conservative pundits and others have rushed to his defense. 

Republican lawmakers have focused nearly all their anti-Biden attention on inflation and the economy. Now economic reports are showing that inflation is dropping, and the anticipated recession hasn’t happened. 

That’s left many in the GOP to reconsider where they should focus their attacks on the president and the Democratic Party. 

“I think it will diminish as an issue over the course of the year if inflation continues to stay down and continues to go down,” Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) told The Hill. 

What they are thinking: Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) told The Hill that Republicans can make other arguments in their favor. “Democratic governance has been a disaster” he said, noting, “we’re still encountering 6,000, 7,000, 8,000 at the border,” crime rates and the deadly fentanyl crisis. (The Hill) 

The Biden administration plans to dedicate $39 billion to student debt relief for thousands of borrowers after the Supreme Court shot down the president’s larger student loan forgiveness plan late last month.  

The relief is centered around income-based repayment plans — when the federal government cancels remaining a borrowers debt after they have made their payments for 20 or 25 years.  

The Biden administration explains it this way: The effort will change how the federal government counts monthly payments that qualify. It will notify eligible borrowers in the upcoming days.  

Background: President Biden pushed a plan to give $10,000 in student debt relief to low- and middle-income borrowers and up to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients. But the Supreme Court nixed that in a 6-3 decision last month, noting Congressional action would be needed and not just a White House decree. That won’t happen in a GOP-controlled House and a Senate that has a razor-thin Democratic majority.

Biden has said he would look for workarounds despite that ruling. He is now leaning on the Higher Education Act, but it is likely to still be tested in the courts.  

When will it happen?: The administration must allow time for public comment on the plan before it can go into effect. That, coupled with the likelihood of legal challenges, make the timeline a little murky. 

From the Veep: “Our Administration will continue to fight to make sure Americans can access high-quality postsecondary education without taking on the burden of unmanageable student loan debt,” Vice President Harris said in a statement. (The Hill)