Ruben Gallego, Kari Lake clash over abortion provision in defense bill that divided AZ House delegation

Senate hopeful Ruben Gallego and possible rival Kari Lake are clashing over an abortion provision in the House-passed defense bill.

Lake, a Republican who unsuccessfully ran for Arizona governor in 2022, took to Twitter to show her support for the provision, quoting a tweet from Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who said that "Senate Republicans should support—not criticize— (Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala.,) in his efforts to defend a law (10 USC 1093) prohibiting the use of (Department of Defense) funds to perform abortions."

"I agree," Lake wrote.

The provision in the fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act would reverse a Pentagon policy that allows women in the military to request travel allowances and an administrative absence from duties to seek abortion care.

Gallego, who is running for the seat of Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., criticized Lake's comment.

"Kari Lake wants to take the right to an abortion away from women in the military," he wrote. "Women in the military didn't sign up to defend our rights abroad to have them taken away at home."

Lake responded by saying that Arizonans are "tired of Ruben's incessant schoolyard bullying."

"They want their representatives to act like grown ups," she wrote.

She has previously teased a 2024 Senate run against Gallego, but has not formally declared.

Arizona's congressional delegation was split on the NDAA as to be expected, with Republican Reps. Juan Ciscomani, Paul Gosar, Debbie Lesko and David Schweikert voting for the bill, and Democratic Reps. Raúl Grijalva and Greg Stanton voting against the bill.

Republican Reps. Andy Biggs and Eli Crane voted against the bill as well, and Gallego didn't vote because he is on paternity leave.

In a joint statement, Biggs and Crane said that funding for a "proxy war in Ukraine" against Russia was an important factor.

"We're escalating a war with a nuclear power. I think it's extremely dangerous," Crane said.

Republicans are touting the bill for it's focuses on the restoration of the focus of the military, combating aggression from the Chinese Community Party, providing the largest pay raise for service members in more than 20 years and providing a path back to service for members who were wrongfully discharged.

Their Democratic counterparts are not as happy. The bill has a number of social provisions, including prohibiting the teaching of Critical Race Theory in the military an amendment reversing a Department of Defense policy that allows women in the military to request travel allowances and an administrative absence from duties to seek abortion care.

"It’s unconscionable that extremist politicians are willing to jeopardize our military readiness and our national security to push their unpopular, partisan agenda (on abortion)," Stanton said Friday in House floor speech.

He added that he has voted for the NDAA every year of his congressional tenure, but "will not turn (his) back on servicewomen and military families."

The NDAA now will head to the Democrat-led Senate, which will likely pass its own version of the bill.

Sinema and Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., have spoken in support of the Senate version of the bill.

"I’m proud to have worked closely with Democrats and Republicans to secure (Arizona's) priorities and further Arizona’s contributions to our military and national security,” Kelly said in a joint statement with Sinema.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Controversial House defense authorization bill heads to the Senate