Overnight Defense: White House threatens to veto Gitmo bill

by Kristina Wong - 09/13/16 7:01 PM ET

THE TOPLINE: The Obama administration is threatening to veto a House bill that would prohibit all transfers out of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.

The veto threat, in the form of a statement of administration policy, reiterates the administration’s longstanding argument that closing the facility would improve national security.

{mosads}”This bill represents an effort not only to extend the facility’s operation — as have the other unwarranted legislative restrictions on transfers — but to bring to a standstill the substantial progress the administration has made in safely and securely reducing the facility’s population,” the Office of Management and Budget statement reads.

The House is expected to vote later this week on the bill, from Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.). It would ban all transfers out of the facility until Jan. 1 or the enactment of this year’s defense policy bill, whichever comes first.

The Hill’s Rebecca Kheel has the story here.

LAWMAKERS PUSH FOR DEFENSE BILL PRIORITIES: “Big Four” talks — among the leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees — to produce a final 2017 defense policy bill began this week, and lawmakers are pushing for their provisions — and to eliminate others — in the final bill.

For example, on Tuesday a bipartisan group of nine lawmakers joined with leading veterans groups to call for the final version of the bill to include language aimed at making it easier for veterans who were discharged for behavior related to mental health issues to upgrade their discharges.

“We are very close to making sure that these service men and women get the help that they need, and we’re going to make it a reality in the next weeks,” said Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), whose Fairness for Veterans Act was included in the Senate-passed version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

The provision in the Senate version would require discharge review boards to provide “liberal consideration” to the diagnosis of a veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI) or military sexual assault when considering whether to upgrade a less-than-honorable discharge.

The Hill’s Rebecca Kheel has more on the Fairness to Veterans Act here.

GOP SENATORS PUSH TO KEEP WOMEN OUT OF DRAFT: On Tuesday, Georgia Sens. Johnny Isakson and David Perdue joined 15 colleagues on a letter asking Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) and House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) to keep a provision requiring women to sign up for the military draft out of the final bill.

The provision was in the Senate bill, but not the House’s.

“When this legislation was passed by the Senate, I urged the president not to play politics with our service members or our national defense, because last year’s presidential veto of this critical legislation was absolutely shameful,” said Isakson.

“Today, I urge this committee to do the same by removing the current language that would, for the first time, prematurely and without proper study of its implications, require women to register for the selective service.”

“Our nation has not had to rely on a draft in almost 40 years so changing the requirements for an inactive program, like the selective service, should not be a high priority of Congress at this time,” added Perdue.

The letter was led by Sen. Ben Sasse (Neb.) and signed by Sens. Orrin Hatch (Utah), John Thune (S.D.), Pat Roberts (Kan.), James Inhofe (Okla.), John Boozman (Ark.), Ted Cruz (Texas), Steve Daines (Mont.), John Hoeven (N.D.), James Lankford (Okla.), Mike Lee (Utah), Jerry Moran (Kan.), James Risch (Idaho), Tim Scott (S.C.), and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.).

FEARS OVER RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE WITH ELECTION: Russian interference in upcoming U.S. state elections is a concern, top U.S. defense officials said Tuesday.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.), up for reelection in Arizona, asked officials at a hearing whether Russia could disrupt voting results in states across the U.S.

“I think there are scenarios where you could see capability applied in particular areas,” Adm. Michael Rogers, commander of U.S. Cyber Command and chief of the National Security Agency, testified to the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) also asked Rogers and Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Marcel Lettre if there was a policy to counter foreign interference, and neither official offered one.

“I’m asking if we have a policy — and the answer is ‘no,’ ” McCain said.

After the hearing, he added: “Any attempt to interfere with American elections must be treated as a threat to our vital national security interests. Yet so far the only response from the Obama administration has been a warning from the Secretary of Defense.”

“The testimony from the Director of the National Security Agency and the today before the Senate Armed Services Committee only heightens my concern.”

The Hill’s Kristina Wong has more here.

McCain also vowed to block the breakup of NSA and Cyber Command’s leadership. The Hill’s Julian Hattem has more here.

MOSUL OFFENSIVE UPDATE: The U.S.-led air campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is now laying the groundwork for the offensive to retake Mosul, the terror group’s Iraq stronghold, the top general in charge of the air war said Tuesday.

“I can tell you’re we’re already shaping the environment for the Iraqi security forces (ISF),” said Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian at a Pentagon briefing.

“The intent there is really to shape the environment so that as the ISF prepares to liberate Mosul, we’ve softened up the enemy for them,” Harrigian said. “We’re going to continue to do that until they’re ready to execute.”

The Hill’s Kristina Wong has more.

ON TAP FOR TOMORROW:

The House Foreign Affairs Committee marks up a bill that would prohibit future “ransom” payments to Iran at 10 a.m. at the Rayburn House Office Building, room 2172. http://bit.ly/2cU5CMc

The House Foreign Affairs Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats subcommittee will hold a hearing on the failed Turkish coup, with experts at Rayburn, room 2200 at 2 p.m. http://bit.ly/2cLSxVf

The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on the future of the VA at the Russell Senate Office Building, room 418 at 2:30 p.m. http://bit.ly/2cLDn1a

The House Armed Services Committee holds a hearing on next-generation air space control at 3:30 p.m. at 2118 Rayburn. http://bit.ly/2cU3Hat

ICYMI:

— The Hill: Dems to VA: Change transgender surgery rule ‘swiftly’

— The Hill: Report: US, Israel agree to 10-year, $38B defense deal

— The Hill: Republican pushes for resolution to allow Gitmo lawsuit

— Fox News: Iran threatened to shoot down US Navy spy planes in the Persian Gulf

— WaPo: Marine drill instructor accused of running a clothes dryer with a Muslim recruit inside

Please send tips and comments to Kristina Wong, kwong@digital-staging.thehill.com, and Rebecca Kheel, rkheel@digital-staging.thehill.com