Deb Riechmann, Associated Press
Posted: Friday, June 19, 2015, 1:08 AM
WASHINGTON - Over White House objections, the Senate on
Thursday passed a $612 billion defense policy bill that
calls for arming Ukraine forces, prevents another round of
base closures, and makes it harder for President Obama to
close the prison for terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba.
The Senate voted 71-25 to approve the bill, which
Obama has threatened to veto.
The bill provides a 2.3 percent pay increase for U.S.
service members and sets up a system so troops would not
have to serve for 20 years before getting some retirement
money. It also reaffirms a ban against torturing detainees,
works to curb cost overruns at the Pentagon, suggests cuts
to headquarters' staffs, provides $3.8 billion for the
Afghan security forces and accelerates shipbuilding.
"The Senate's overwhelming, bipartisan vote reflects the
vital importance of this legislation to our men and women in
uniform, especially at a time of growing threats to our
national security. I hope today's result will encourage the
president to abandon his misguided veto threat," said Sen.
John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services
Committee.
Before it can go to Obama's desk, the bill must be reconciled
with a version passed by the House - a process McCain (R.,
Ariz.) predicted could be finished in July.
Moments after the overwhelming vote to establish military
policy, Democrats blocked a separate bill that provides the
actual funds for the Pentagon. The vote was 50-45, 10 short of
the votes necessary to move ahead.
Democrats oppose the way the bill skirts congressional
spending caps by padding an emergency war-fighting account that
is exempt from the caps. They argue that if Republicans want to
break through spending caps on defense, they should do so for
domestic spending, too.
A brief exchange between the Republican and Democratic
leaders underscored the budget dispute that is likely to stretch
through the summer, until the Sept. 30 deadline to keep the
government operating. It also captured the political gamble by
Democrats, who blocked Pentagon money and left senators open to
GOP criticism that they were failing to support the military.
"You just voted for the troops, now you're going to vote
against them?" Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.), asked
with a degree of incredulity.
Minority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) argued against "doing
funny money" on defense and maintained that the GOP was
short-changing the FBI and National Institutes of Health.
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