The Senate has decided to put off its defense spending bill for fiscal 2014 after lawmakers proposed hundreds of amendments to the funding measure, DoD Buzz reported Thursday.
Brendan McGarry writes senators left for their 11-day Thanksgiving recess on Thursday without voting on the National Defense Authorization Act.
The Pentagon asked for a $527 billion base budget over the next fiscal year and another $79 billion to fund contingency missions abroad, according to the article.
“Given the importance of this bill to our troops, their families, and our national security, I’m nowhere close to giving up on completing the defense authorization bill, even though we will only have days, not weeks, to complete it,†Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) wrote in an email obtained by DoD Buzz.
Rep. Howard McKeon (R-Calif.) urged senators to take up the defense bill as soon as it resumes session, the article notes.
“There are still pathways to passage for this vital bill,” McKeon said.
Proposed amendments to NDAA include limiting funds to replace the A-10 fleet and reforming the way military sexual assault cases are managed, McGarry reports.
