Senate passes defense policy bill without Iraq language

The Senate on Monday overwhelmingly passed the fiscal 2008 defense authorization bill after weeks of debate failed to find consensus on Iraq withdrawal language. The bill, which authorizes more than half a trillion dollars in defense spending, is headed into conference with the House version, which also does not contain any Iraq withdrawal language.

The bill passed by a vote of 92-3, with Sens. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) voting against it.

{mosads}Senate leaders have indicated that they do not intend to attach Iraq withdrawal language to the 2008 defense appropriations bill, which would leave a potentially contentious debate for the 2008 emergency supplemental budget. The defense appropriations bill does not contain any funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The House passed its version of the 2008 defense-spending bill without any Iraq language.

 The White House’s request of about $191 billion for the supplemental is meant to cover military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

As the Senate and the House head into conference negotiations over the defense policy bill, they will still have to iron out some major differences before the bill is ready to reach the president’s desk for signing.  

One area of likely dispute is the Army’s flagship program, the Future Combat Systems. The Senate chose to add $115 million on top of the Army’s $3.7 billion request, while the House slashed the program’s funding by $867 million.

The Senate also passed an amendment by Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to boost funding for the mine-resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicles by $23.6 billion, allowing the Army to replace all of its up-armored humvees with MRAPS.  The Senate Armed Services Committee had already authorized $4 billion for the military to buy more MRAPS.

The Senate and House committees will also have to find common ground on funding for missile defense, which the House cut far more deeply than the Senate did.

The Senate passed last week an amendment that would provide federal assistance to state and local law enforcement for investigating and prosecuting hate crimes, including those targeting gays. That measure could become grounds for a presidential veto, according to Republicans who opposed the amendment.

Both Senate and House bills authorized a 3.5 percent pay increase for all military personnel, which the administration strongly opposes, and take steps to address shortfalls in the care of wounded members of the military.