Blaze News original: Both sides besiege Biden as political firestorm roils his re-election bid



President Joe Biden's re-election bid is being roiled by a political firestorm following his widely panned debate performance, with some on the political right calling for his removal per the 25th Amendment and some on the political left calling for him to bow out of the presidential race — but the presumptive 2024 Democratic presidential nominee has adamantly declared that he will remain in the contest.

The day after the debate, Republican Reps. Chip Roy of Texas and Clay Higgins of Louisiana put forward a resolution that urges Vice President Kamala Harris to seek to have Biden declared incapable of executing the duties of the presidency, per the 25th Amendment.

'I happen to think that the right thing here is actually the right political thing.'

The text of the resolution declares that the House calls on Harris "to immediately use her powers under section 4 of the 25th Amendment to convene and mobilize the principal officers of the executive departments in the Cabinet to declare that President Joseph R. Biden is unable to discharge the duties and powers of the office," as well as "to transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives notice that she will be immediately assuming the powers and duties of the office as Acting President."

Biden, the oldest president in U.S. history, is already 81 years old and would be 86 by the end of a second term in office.

While speaking to Blaze News, Roy suggested that the vice president, first lady, others, and likely many members of the Cabinet "are all complicit in ... a conspiracy to" conceal from Americans the president's "mental state."

The conservative congressman told Blaze News that he thinks "the right thing here is actually the right political thing." He noted that he believes in doing what is right and letting "politics follow" but said "they align" in this case.

GOP Sen. Mike Lee of Utah tweeted, "What the Constitution requires doesn't always align both with what is politically expedient and with what national security demands. It does here. @ChipRoyTX is right. We should call on Vice President Harris to invoke the 25th Amendment."

— (@)

Roy has even floated the idea of impeaching Biden, declaring in a post on X, "We should / would be on solid ground to impeach Joe Biden for lying to the American people about his supposed competence (perhaps we should consider that too)."

In another post, the lawmaker suggested that the vice president "could be impeached for lying to America & covering up" and said, "The @HouseGOP should subpoena @KamalaHarris, Jill Biden, & key White House staff to determine when they knew that @JoeBiden is senile."

Blaze Media's Daniel Horowitz told Blaze News that Republicans should refuse to fund the government until Biden is no longer in power.

"This needs to be about the entire Democrat Party lying to the American people for four years, and the Chip resolution drives home that point. I would also add that Republicans would be wise to engage in a budget battle over this point and make it clear throughout the summer that they will not fund the budget until Biden steps down," Horowitz said, adding that "we cannot fund a government run by a man who can't walk, think, or talk, holding the nuclear football codes."

Keith Malinak of BlazeTV's "Pat Gray Unleashed" also agrees that the 25th Amendment should be invoked.

"Joe Biden is a case study on when the Cabinet should pursue removal of a president under the 25th Amendment. To think there is any question is what I find baffling," Malinak told Blaze News in a statement.

"I appreciate Congressman Chip Roy for talking about this, but I'm doubtful the vice president will pursue this course until she has the assurances that party leadership and those actually calling the shots in this presidency will have her back in such an eventuality," he added.

'I am hopeful that he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw.'

Some on the political left have suggested that the president should abandon his re-election bid.

"I am hopeful that he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw. I respectfully call on him to do so," Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas said in a statement.

"If he's the candidate, I'm going to support him, but I think that this is an opportunity to look elsewhere," Democratic Rep. Raúl Grijalva of Arizona said, according to the New York Times. "What he needs to do is shoulder the responsibility for keeping that seat — and part of that responsibility is to get out of this race."

Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts has said that Biden should "step aside to let new leaders rise up and run against Donald Trump," according to WBUR.org.

Democratic Rep. Mike Quigley of Illinois suggested that to "prevent utter catastophe" Biden should "step down and let someone else do this."

Democratic Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota said in a statement, "Given what I saw and heard from the president during last week's debate in Atlanta, coupled with the lack of a forceful response from the president himself following that debate, I do not believe that the president can effectively campaign and win against Donald Trump."

"I respectfully call on President Biden to step aside as the Democratic nominee for a second term as president and allow for a new generation of leaders to step forward," Craig declared.

But not all Democratic lawmakers have soured on Biden's candidacy.

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania has remained a stalwart supporter of the president's re-election bid.

"I'm unwilling to discard a great president, a decent man and a loving father after 50 years in public service, over a 90 minute debate. Responding with disorder, panic and disloyalty is not meeting this moment," the senator said in a tweet.

Some Democratic donors have also called for Biden to drop out.

The New York Times reported that Abigail Disney said the president's campaign and committees backing it, including the Democratic National Committee, super PACs, and nonprofit organizations, "will not receive another dime from me until they bite the bullet and replace Biden at the top of the ticket."

"Biden is unfortunately in denial about his mental state. He needs to step aside to let a vigorous Democratic leader beat Trump," Netflix CEO Reed Hastings declared, according to ABC News.

Even the outlet's editorial board wrote a piece titled "To Serve His Country, President Biden Should Leave the Race."

But Biden has said he will remain in the race.

'Let them live with the consequences of their own actions.'

BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales has expressed the view that conservatives will benefit politically if Biden keeps running.

"The greatest way to ensure a conservative victory in November is for Joe Biden to continue running. On top of that, every single Democrat now raising faux concerns about Biden's cognitive abilities knew exactly how bad he had gotten when they called us 'conspiracy theorists' and accused us of putting out deepfakes and 'cheapfakes' showing Biden's decline just weeks ago. Let them live with the consequences of their own actions. They insisted Joe is their guy. Who are we to prevent that from happening?" she wrote in a statement to Blaze News.

But BlazeTV host Steve Deace believes Biden should be removed from office immediately.

"We simply cannot have someone who couldn't pass a corporate management competency hearing, be certified to become a foster parent, or even obtain a driver's license be the one who is in possession of the nuclear codes. Full stop," Deace wrote in an opinion piece. "Yes, it is a hard pill to swallow, but it is an act of patriotic duty to remove Joe Biden from office right now. Because this is fundamentally about far more than one incapacitated man. It is about who we are called to be as a free people, and it may even be about our very survival."

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Trump calls Rep. Chip Roy a 'RINO,' floats idea of a primary challenger — but there's a problem



Former President Donald Trump targeted GOP Rep. Chip Roy of Texas on social media, apparently indicating that he would like to see the lawmaker face a primary challenger. Trump called the conservative congressman a RINO, which is an acronym that stands for "Republican in name only."

"Has any smart and energetic Republican in the Great State of Texas decided to run in the Primary against RINO Congressman Chip Roy. For the right person, he is very beatable. If interested, let me know!!!" Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. In another post, Trump referred to the legislator as "lightweight Congressman Chip Roy."

The filing deadline for primary candidates was December 11 at 6:00 p.m.

According to Politico, Roy is not facing any primary challengers.

Earlier this year, Roy endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president before DeSantis had announced his White House bid.

Roy, who is campaigning for DeSantis in Iowa, appeared with the Sunshine State governor on an episode of Fox News Channel's "Hannity," hosted by Kayleigh McEnany, on Monday night.

Trump has been crushing the other GOP presidential primary candidates in polls, but Roy told McEnany that Iowans, not polls, will determine the outcome of the contest. "We're for principles not princes. We don't coronate anybody. We don't let polls decide. It's the American people through this process," he noted.

— (@)

When BlazeTV host Steve Deace asked Roy for his reaction to Trump's comments, Roy accused Trump of "hiding in his basement alongside Joe Biden," saying that Trump does not want to face DeSantis, who "would clean his clock." Later, Roy used the term "gasbag," apparently referring to Trump.

While DeSantis participated in all four Republican National Committee-affiliated GOP presidential primary debates earlier this year, Trump opted to skip them.


In a post on X, DeSantis declared that Roy "is fighting to do what Donald Trump promised to do—secure our southern border—the former president is on social media demanding a primary challenge to one of the most conservative members of Congress (even though the Texas primary filing deadline was over a week ago.)"

"I stand with @chiproytx," GOP Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky tweeted. "He fights for what he believes and he's one of the most conservative members of Congress. I can tell you with certainty that this shortsighted effort to intimidate Chip will not work." Massie also backed DeSantis for president before the Florida governor had announced a presidential bid.

In 2021, Trump, who had been supporting Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) for the House Republican Conference chair slot, poured cold water on Roy's bid for the role.

"Can't imagine Republican House Members would go with Chip Roy—he has not done a great job, and will probably be successfully primaried in his own district. I support Elise, by far, over Chip!" Trump said in a statement.

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Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler says it would have been child abuse for parents not to mask 2-year-olds before COVID-19 vaccines were available



Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York unabashedly expressed support for mandatory masking for 2-year-old children, asserting that parents would have been committing child abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic if they opted not to mask their 2-year-old kids because masks were the only option to protect those young people when there was not yet a vaccine available for them.

Nadler, who noted that in the past he had to be vaccinated before going to school, spoke in favor of vaccine mandates. He said vaccinations are necessary "to prevent diseases" as well as "pandemics."

The long-serving left-wing lawmaker who has been in office for over three decades said that a nurse caring for patients could transmit disease and should be required to be vaccinated. Getting vaccinated "not only protects her, it protects against transmission," he claimed, adding that health care workers "certainly" should be required to get vaccinated.

"Your 2-year-old should be forced to be masked. That is what the Ranking Member ... just said," Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas declared, adding that Nadler was saying the federal government should be involved in requiring 2-year-old kids to wear masks.

"Chip having a field day!" TheBlaze's Daniel Horowitz tweeted in response to a clip of Roy's remarks.

\u201cChip having a field day!\u201d
— Daniel Horowitz (@Daniel Horowitz) 1686775520

"Thank you, @chiproytx for your steadfast calling out of the Covid cult!" someone else tweeted.

"When your adversary is losing - let him," Roy tweeted.

"They have no regrets about harming kids in the name of COVID. If given the chance…they'll do it again," the DeSantis War Room Twitter account tweeted.

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Far-left Democrat offers shock praise for House Republican amid speaker chaos: 'I respect that a lot more'



Far-left Rep. Ted Lieu offered surprising praise for a House Republican on Wednesday.

Lieu, a Democrat from Hawaii, commended Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) for standing on his principles — talking the talk and walking the walk.

"I don't agree with [Roy] on most issues. But I believe that he believes in what he says," Lieu said. "I respect that a lot more than Republicans like [Kevin McCarthy] and [Elise Stefanik] who will say anything to gain power."

\u201cI don\u2019t agree with @chiproytx on most issues. But I believe that he believes in what he says. I respect that a lot more than Republicans like @GOPLeader and @EliseStefanik who will say anything to gain power. Will be interesting to see if folks like Chip Roy stand up or fold.\u201d
— Ted Lieu (@Ted Lieu) 1672838844

Roy is one of the leading figures campaigning against Rep. Kevin McCarthy's bid to become House speaker. As of Wednesday afternoon, McCarthy had lost five consecutive ballots for the speakership.

A faction of 20 Republican lawmakers is blocking McCarthy's bid. They believe that electing McCarthy to be House speaker will empower the political status quo.

"What I'm not going to do is blindly do what the swamp does. My constituents didn't send me here to do that," Roy said Tuesday on Fox News. "Is anybody listening to this actually happy with what Congress is doing? Is anybody out there? Are you? Anybody in America, do you think Congress is doing a good job? The answer is no."

"So, why would we embrace the status quo? Why would we keep doing the same thing over and over again? That is what is happening in the room," he said.

Anything else?

Republican infighting has temporarily rendered the House of Representatives powerless because, as the New York Times explained, "law and precedents state that the House must elect a speaker before lawmakers take any other action."

From the Times:

Without a speaker, the United States House of Representatives essentially becomes a useless entity. With no sworn members, there are no lawmakers to make an official response to an emergency or a crisis. With no rules adopted, the legislative process cannot move forward; no bills can be passed or resolutions adopted.

As of Wednesday afternoon, House members-elect were voting on a sixth ballot for speaker. By the time of publication, 11 Republicans had already voted against McCarthy, meaning the vote will go to a seventh ballot.

Lawmaker confronts abortion doctor over horrific reality of abortion procedures. Her reaction says it all.



An Alabama physician who performs abortions accused Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) of using "inflammatory language" Wednesday after he described the brutal reality of abortion procedures.

What happened?

During a tense House Judiciary Committee hearing, Roy asked Dr. Yashica Robinson — who operates one of three facilities in Alabama that provide abortions, according to AL.com — about her experience aborting unborn children.

"What is the latest you have performed an abortion in terms of weeks of the unborn child?" Roy asked directly.

Unfortunately, Robinson appeared uninterested in answering Roy's question.

"Yes, my name is Dr. Robinson and I provide abortion care in Alabama. So Alabama has restrictions —" she responded before Roy interjected.

"What is the answer to the question? The latest that you have performed an abortion?" the congressman asked again.

“I’m going to answer your question," Robinson responded. "So, unfortunately, my state is one of those states that has passed bans or restrictions on abortion care, which limits physicians like myself —"

"In other words, you’d like to do it later," Roy interjected again, before asking a third time, "What is the latest you have performed an abortion?"

Robinson finally answered, "Well, since I will always follow the law and I live in the state of Alabama, I provide abortion care up until 20 weeks gestational age."

Rep. @chiproytx: "What is the latest you have performed an abortion?"\n\nDr. Robinson: "20 weeks"\n\nRoy: "Have you had baby parts that you've had to discard or store?"\n\nRobinson: "You have used inflammatory language."pic.twitter.com/g94XX7bxQH
— Greg Price (@Greg Price) 1652895761

After Robinson admitted to aborting 20-week-old unborn children, Roy pressed Robinson on abortion procedures.

"OK, so you performed an abortion at 20 weeks. The procedure for an abortion, when we’re talking about at 20 weeks, as I understand it, is dilation and extraction," he noted before asking his next question, "Have you performed abortions at that stage and, in doing so, have you had baby parts that you’ve had to discard or store in some capacity? Legs, arms, eyes?"

However, instead of answering the question, Robinson complained about Roy's choice of words.

"One of the things that you all have done throughout this hearing is use inflammatory language as you talk about —" Robinson said.

"No, it’s a question," Roy shot back. "Ma'am, ma'am, it’s a simple question. Have you had human parts, baby parts, arms, legs, as a result of an abortion performed, at the time you just acknowledged you perform abortions, up to 20 weeks?"

Robinson responded that she is a "proud abortion provider" and claimed "there is nothing that you can say that makes it difficult for me to talk about the care that I provide."

The Texas congressman said Robinson's repeated deflections and apparent refusal to discuss the horrors of abortion indicated that she did not want "to talk about the reality of what actually happens" in abortion procedures.

During her testimony, Robinson claimed abortion is "essential health care" and alleged that "racism and white supremacy" are behind the "abortion access crisis."

Revoking Your Rights: The Ongoing Crisis in Abortion Care Access youtu.be

Republicans demand answers on alleged 'race-based rationing' of monoclonal antibody treatments



Republican lawmakers are demanding answers from the Biden administration after a viral video purportedly showed a man being denied monoclonal antibody treatment for COVID-19 because of his race.

In a letter to Health Secretary Xavier Becerra, 14 House Republicans led by Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) asked the Department of Health and Human Services to clarify why the administration is rationing the supply of monoclonal antibody treatments.

The letter is a follow-up to a previous inquiry from Roy asking HHS whether or not there was a "current or expected shortage of any monoclonal antibody treatments in the U.S.," a question Republicans said the Biden administration never answered.

"Despite HHS saying it is 'dedicated to transparency throughout this effort' multiple attempts from Congress to better understand HHS's role in regulating the mAb supply chain and distribution have gone unanswered," the lawmakers wrote on Tuesday.

"Now, we have heard of instances of individuals being refused mAb treatments, with a recent case regarding a man in Texas being refused treatment based on the color of his skin. Current Emergency Use Authorization guidelines list criteria for high-risk individuals including 'for example, race or ethnicity' in considering who receives treatment,'" the letter states.

The Republicans are referring to a viral video posted to Twitter by Harrison Hill Smith, a Texas-based blogger and self-described "Constitutional Extremist and Libertarian Nationalist" who claims he was "denied medical service because of [his] race."

Denied medical service because of my race.pic.twitter.com/FgtO3oiSPG

— Harrison Hill Smith (@Harrison_of_TX) 1636828763

In the video, Hill reportedly interacts with a Texas Department of Health and Human Services worker who told him he does not meet the eligibility criteria for receiving mAb treatment. The worker told Hill he is under 65, healthy, has no underlying medical conditions that put him at high risk for COVID-19, and as such "research shows that you should be able to fight off COVID."

When Hill asked if he would qualify for the treatment were he "black or hispanic," the worker said, "that's right."

Monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapy is a treatment for COVID-19 that studies have shown is effective at reducing the risk of hospitalization and death for patients with mild to moderate illness who receive early treatment. The Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency use authorization for mAb therapies to treat mild to moderate COVID-19 in adults and children older than 12.

In September, when mAb treatments were in high demand among seven red states, the Biden administration announced it would take over the distribution of mAb treatments to "maintain equitable distribution, both geographically and temporally, across the country." CNN reported at the time that Florida, Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana accounted for 70% of monoclonal antibodies orders.

The guidelines for the state-funded Regional Infusion Center that operates in Tarrant County, Texas, say patients must meat at least one of several criteria to be eligible to qualify for COVID-19 therapeutics. The criteria includes being older than 65, being overweight, pregnant, having one of several preexisting health conditions, or being in a "high risk ethnicity group (Latino or Black)."

According to Roy's office, those Texas guidelines are based on federal guidelines that state "race or ethnicity" are among medical conditions or factors that may place individual patients at high risk of developing severe COVID-19.

Yet again, it\u2019s not @GovAbbott or #TxLege setting race-based rules\u2026 it\u2019s the feds. This is why we\u2019ve been aggressively fighting them (CDC, HHS) on rationing monoclonal treatments. Now we must dig into this - there should not be race-based rationing of care. #HealthcareFreedomhttps://twitter.com/chiproytx/status/1459601432248733708\u00a0\u2026

— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) 1636846665

The Republican letter asks Becerra to explain if there is a shortage of mAb treatments that makes rationing necessary and whether race or ethnicity is a factor in determining who gets rationed care.

"If there is no supply issue, as your Department's silence would indicate, then why is HHS rationing the treatment? Additionally, under no circumstance should an individual be turned away from receiving medical care due to the color of his or her skin," the letter states.

"Refusing to care for an individual based on the color of his or her skin raises very serious questions about potential violation of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Any guidelines, regulations, directives, or policies of any kind causing any doctor to deny access to care based on skin color should be immediately prohibited by your Department."

The lawmakers gave HHS a Nov. 29 deadline to respond to their inquiry.

HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

After 11 Republicans helped overcome a procedural hurdle, Senate Dems voted to raise the debt ceiling by $480 billion



The U.S. is saddled with trillions of dollars in national debt but Uncle Sam will likely get the green light to keep spending because the federal government is on track to increase the debt limit.

The measure approved by the Senate on Thursday would increase the statutory debt limit by a whopping $480 billion, a figure which the Treasury Department estimates would be sufficient to enable the government to keep borrowing through at least Dec. 3, according to the New York Times.

Now the bill will head to the House of Representatives, and once it passes there, it will head to President Joe Biden.

Sixty-one Senators, including 11 Republicans, voted on Thursday night to overcome a filibuster — that vote tally was 61-38.

Roll Call reported that those 11 GOP lawmakers included Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and the following 10 others: John Barrasso of Wyoming, Roy Blunt of Missouri, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Susan Collins of Maine, John Cornyn of Texas, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rob Portman of Ohio, Mike Rounds of South Dakota, Richard C. Shelby of Alabama, and John Thune of South Dakota.

BREAKING: The Senate votes 61-38 on cloture on a bill that would raise the debt limit by $480 billion. Eleven Repub… https://t.co/xeRQ4U0B4F

— Roll Call (@rollcall) 1633651887.0

After those 11 Republicans voted to advance the measure, the Senate chamber voted to increase the debt ceiling in a 50-48 party-line vote. No GOP senators voted in favor of passage, according to Roll Call.

Earlier on Thursday GOP Rep. Chip Roy of Texas noted that back in August McConnell was one of the GOP senators to sign onto a letter declaring that they would not vote to increase the debt ceiling.

"We, the undersigned Republican Senators, are letting Senate Democrats and the American public know that we will not vote to increase the debt ceiling, whether that increase comes through a stand-alone bill, a continuing resolution, or any other vehicle," the letter declares.

Just over 2 months ago, @LeaderMcConnell was the FIRST signature… saying “we will not vote to increase the debt cei… https://t.co/9VEZeyRGtd

— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) 1633635694.0

Senate committee advances amendment requiring women to register for the draft with majority GOP support



The Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday approved an amendment to its 2022 defense policy bill that would expand the Selective Service System by requiring women to register for the draft.

The amendment to the Military Selective Service Act was approved by a committee vote of 21-5, with five Senate Republicans opposed, according to Politico reporter Burgess Everett. Eight Republicans on the committee voted in favor of the amendment, which is now attached to the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, a piece of legislation generally considered by lawmakers to be "must-pass."

Five Senate Republicans opposed expanding registering for the Selective Service/potential draft to women. Hawley a… https://t.co/LYICwx63rB

— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) 1626970681.0

The language changing the Selective Service System was authored by Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Politico reported. His amendment expands Selective Service registration to "All Americans" and strikes explicit references to males.

In 2015, the Obama administration acted to remove all gender-based restrictions on military service beginning in January 2016. At the time, Armed Services Committee Chairmen Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) and Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) released a joint statement calling on Congress to review the implications of the Obama administration's decision and examine "any changes to the Selective Service Act that may be required as a result of this decision."

With all combat roles open to women, some have argued that there is no reason women should be exempt from conscripted service. Last year, the National Commission on Military National and Public Service recommended that women be made eligible for the draft after being tasked by lawmakers to investigate the matter.

Adult males ages 18-25 are required by law to register with the Selective Service System for conscripted military service in times of war. America's last draft ended in 1973, at the conclusion of the war in Vietnam, and the U.S. military has relied on an all-volunteer force since then.

Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up a case challenging the constitutionality of excluding women from the draft. The Court said that Congress, which holds the constitutional power to raise armies and navies, is ultimately responsible for setting conscripted service policy and noted that lawmakers were already debating the matter.

"It remains to be seen, of course, whether Congress will end gender-based registration under the Military Selective Service Act," Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in an opinion joined by the other liberal justices. "But at least for now, the Court's longstanding deference to Congress on matters of national defense and military affairs cautions against granting review while Congress actively weighs the issue."

Whether women should be required to register for the draft has been debated in Congress several times, but this is the first time an amendment extending Selective Service registration to women has passed out of committee. In the past, several Republican members of the Armed Services Committee have supported such efforts, including Sens. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). Others, mostly conservatives, have led the opposition.

"Our military has welcomed women for decades and are stronger for it. But America's daughters shouldn't be drafted against their will," Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said in a statement after the vote. "I opposed this amendment in committee, and I'll work to remove it before the defense bill passes."

"It should be our political mission to defeat any member of Congress (Senate or House) in either party who forces this garbage on our daughters. This is a non-starter, and is all out political war," Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) declared on Twitter, tagging Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).

It should be our political mission to defeat any member of Congress (Senate or House) in either party who forces th… https://t.co/TZo0mFSNfI

— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) 1627012905.0

"This is it for me. This is a litmus test. Fight this nonsense or we are not on the same team. Abolish the draft if you want ... but draft my daughter you will not," Roy, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, said in a follow-up tweet.

His fierce opposition to drafting women into the military is shared by conservative grassroots leaders.

"Only a wicked and cowardly nation would conscript its daughters into war. Democrats pushing this initiative are wicked and the Republicans who failed to oppose it are cowards," Terri Schilling, president of the American Principles Project, said.

"Republicans who vote to draft our daughters cannot be relied upon to oppose any other harmful items of the Left's woke agenda. Americans oppose the harmful policies of the Democratic Party, but they also don't trust Republicans in effectively opposing the Left's agenda because of moments like this," Schilling added.

"On top of this being harmful to America, it's also incredibly stupid politics. You don't need to be Karl Rove to know that attacking Democrats for conscripting our daughters would be politically beneficial heading into the most crucial midterm elections in recent history. With Republicans like this, who needs Democrats? Thank God for leaders like Sens. Josh Hawley and Tom Cotton for having the stones and brains to stand up against this insane agenda."

Russ Vought, president of the Center for Renewing America, simply commented "No. You are not drafting our daughters."