House, Senate Negotiators Reach Deal on Defense Policy Bill

He has, however, welcomed identifying a site in the USA to house detainees.

“Without wasting any more time, Democrats and Republicans must now work together toward a reasonable, long-term budget agreement that makes investments in the middle class and reverses the across-the-board sequester cuts that threaten our economy and hardworking families”, said Sen. The legislation as it now stands includes the same restrictions on transferring prisoners out of Guantanamo that have existed since 2009, as well as an outright ban on moving detainees to countries like Libya, Syria, Somalia and Yemen. John McCain, R-Ariz., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “If the administration complains about the provisions concerning Guantánamo, then it’s their fault because they never came forward with a plan”. It calls for government matching funds to new 401(k)-type plans, replacing a system that doesn’t leave retiring troops with anything unless they serve 20 years.

“Republican leadership chose to abandon its constitutional power of the purse and to fund 100 percent of President Obama’s failed agenda”, Cruz said. It also provides arms to Kurds and other Sunni groups in Iraq.

Colin Clark of Breaking Defense reported the bill would give chiefs of the USA military service branches more power to manage weapon programs and requirements.

McCain said that he doesn’t agree with using OCO, which isn’t beholden to the budget caps, to boost Pentagon funding: “The right place to have that fight, though, is in the appropriations bill, not the authorization bill”.

“The NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) is a policy bill”, McCain said.

Carter said he had a number of objections to the compromise bill unveiled on Tuesday. The Senate is scheduled to vote on Wednesday. Democratic Rep. Adam Smith highlighted Gitmo as one of the reasons for holding back his signature.

But a day later, McConnell also blasted Democrats for refusing to let appropriations bills advance, as “part of a few arbitrary strategy to force our nation to the brink”.

“This bill will exacerbate budgetary dysfunction and hamper our military at a time when it desperately needs reliable support”, Smith said. We must address the root causes of the problem. But most importantly, the temporary budget ignores the latest tea party effort to completely defund Planned Parenthood.