The U.S. House of Representatives approved Congressman Adrian Smith’s (R-NE) amendment to the fiscal year ’17 Defense Department Appropriations bill barring the military from adopting meat reduction programs.

The purpose of the amendment is to stop the Humane Society of the United States’ “Meatless Monday” campaign to have schools, hospitals and other institutions reduce their meat offerings.

Smith says, “Ideologically motivated activists are working to take meat off the menu in institutions across the country, and they have included the U.S. military on their list of targets. These restrictions would negatively impact the nutrition and morale of the men and women who protect our nation. Meat contains vitamins and nutrients not readily available in a plant-based diet. My amendment is not a mandate or a prohibition — it simply ensures there is a meat option available to our troops each day.

“I am not willing to allow activist groups to tell members of our military, who risk their lives to keep us safe, they cannot enjoy a hamburger or steak on certain days of the week simply to advance an agenda against animal agriculture,” Smith says.