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 The measure would authorize a Pentagon base budget of $526.8
billion in 2014, plus $17.6 billion for nuclear weapons programs in
the Energy Department and $7.7 billion in mandatory defense
spending. It also calls for $80.7 billion for the war in Afghanistan
and other overseas operations.
The bill — the National Defense Authorization Act — would add
legislative teeth to the military's effort to crack down on sexual
assault, and it would boost President Barack Obama's efforts to
close the prison for suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The measure, which was passed by the House of Representatives last
week, is expected to be voted on by the Senate this week before
being sent to President Barack Obama for his signature.
Senator Carl Levin, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services
Committee, said the bill included more than 30 provisions to help
address the problem of sexual assault in the military, including
providing attorneys for victims and making it a crime to retaliate
against people who report assaults.
The bill did not include tougher measures advocated by Senator
Kirsten Gillibrand, who had sought to amend the measure to place
decisions about prosecuting sexual assault crimes in the hands of
special attorneys rather than officers in the victim's chain of
command.
Republican lawmakers expressed frustration over Senate Majority
Leader Harry Reid's deal to bar amendments on the bill. Debate on
the measure stalled last month over efforts to limit the hundreds of
amendments offered in the Senate.
Under a compromise deal, leaders of the Armed Services committees in
the House of Representatives and Senate cobbled together a new
authorization act. The House passed the measure last week before
adjourning for the year. The Senate concludes its session this week.
"The majority leader won't allow a robust amendment process because
he can't stomach a vote on Iran sanctions," Senate Republican leader
Mitch McConnell told lawmakers on Wednesday.
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"What are our policies for preventing the ungoverned portions of
Syria from becoming a terrorist safe haven? Unfortunately we will
not be having that debate this session of Congress," McConnell said.
"What is our policy for capturing, interrogating and detaining
terrorists? ... We will not have that debate."
The NDAA is considered a must-pass piece of legislation. Failure to
approve it would result in the expiration of a variety of annual
authorizations, including those for incentive pay, depriving troops
of about $1.5 billion in income, a defense official said.
Although the NDAA authorizes spending levels, it does not actually
provide the funding. That is done through a separate appropriations
bill. The Pentagon can spend appropriated funds even without an
authorization act, the defense official said, but it does require
authorization for some types of spending.
"The underlying bill is an important one," McConnell said. "It
contains the authorization needed for key military construction
projects on our military bases, for multi-year procurement that's
more efficient ... and for combat pay and special pay our troops
deserve."
Levin said the bill included authorizations that would permit the
Defense Department to spend money on the destruction of Syrian
chemical weapons and to help Jordan pay to secure its border with
Syria, which is in the middle of a civil war.
(Reporting by David Alexander; editing by Dan Grebler)
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