Senate Advances Defense Policy Bill After Weeks-Long Stalemate
Last Thursday, the Senate approved its version of the annual defense policy bill (S.2296) in a 77-20 vote. The measure authorizes $925.8 billion in national defense spending, $32.1 billion above the levels requested by the Trump administration. The vote ends a nearly month-long impasse over the amendment process that had stalled the bill since early September.
Earlier in the day, Senate Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), announced that Republicans and Democrats had agreed to vote on 17 stand-alone amendments and a package of nearly 50 less controversial amendments.
The bill was met with a final delay when Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill) said that she would oppose expediting the bill until Wicker agreed to hold a public hearing on the Trump administration’s National Guard deployments to Democratic-led cities. An hour after her initial announcement, Duckworth said she secured a commitment for that hearing, allowing Thursday’s votes to proceed.
Key Amendments
In a voice vote, senators adopted an amendment by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) to repeal the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force in Iraq, as well as a similar resolution passed in 1991 during the Gulf War. Advocates in both parties argue that repealing these measures is necessary to prevent abuses of presidential power.
A bipartisan amendment proposed by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) was also adopted, expanding the Pentagon’s authority to counter drone threats over military installations.
Amendments that failed included a proposal by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to block funding for President Trump’s plan to retrofit a Qatari jet as a replacement for Air Force One. Another, proposed by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), attempted to stop Trump and state governors from allowing National Guard troops from one state to be sent to another if a governor or mayor rejected the move.
Bill Analysis
The bill more than doubles funding for military construction and would authorize roughly a 12% boost above the request for procurement. It also supports a 3.8% pay increase for military personnel.
The bill authorizes more than $6 billion in unrequested funding for the construction of two DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers, and it provides $1.2 billion more than requested to fully fund the construction of the next Virginia-class attack submarine.
The measure authorizes the procurement of 57 new Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters, including 10 more than requested for the Air Force variant.
The bill also makes several changes to streamline procurement, including expanding the authority of contracting officers and the use of commercial products and services.
It authorizes $500 million for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and extends it through 2028. It also sets policies for the development and deployment of the domestic Golden Dome missile defense program and provide up to $200 million to support Israel’s missile defense systems.
With Senate passage, the bill heads to formal conference negotiations with to House to produce a final version of the bill before the end of the year. The main difference between the two bills is the topline funding level. The House version adheres to the administration’s requested budget of $882.6 billion, while the Senate exceeds this number by over $43 billion.
The Senate bill also contains several provisions aimed at providing more congressional oversight of the Trump administration, including mandates that the Pentagon certify the drawdown of troops in Europe and require congressional notification before a judge advocate general is fired.