Just before leaving for Thanksgiving break, our hard working Senate by default placed the authorization bill that determines the Defense Department spending levels in limbo. Since they won’t return until December 9th, it is highly likely that it will not be passed this legislative session.
On Nov. 21, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) called for a vote to close debate and vote on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), but that motion was struck down by a vote of 54-41 amid intense disagreements about how many of the amendments should be debated. According to Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.), it has been 51 years since there was no NDAA, authorizing the D o D expenditures for the upcoming year.
The measure before the Senate NDAA (S1197) would authorize about $522 billion in fiscal 2014 spending.
Harry Reid refused to allow continued debate even though SASC Ranking Member Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) said he was willing to limit the number of amendments Republicans would bring to the table.
Inhofe said on the Senate floor before the cloture vote, “I fought for at least 50 amendments to be considered to this bill,” He further said. “This morning when I brought forward 25 amendments from my Republican colleagues that were ready to be debated and voted on, Majority Leader Harry Reid rejected my offer.”
Inhofe went on to say that the NDAA has always received strong bipartisan support because there has traditionally been an open amendment process that allows members of the Senate to debate.