Overnight Defense: Inside the House, Senate defense bills

THE TOPLINE: The House Appropriations Committee on Thursday approved a $658 billion spending plan for the Defense Department. 

The measure, which passed by voice vote, includes $584 billion for the base budget and $74 billion in war funding known as the Overseas Contingency Operations account.

Read about the passage of the bill here.

AUMF AMENDMENT: The bill includes language that would revoke the 2001 Authorization of Use of Military Force (AUMF) – a 2001 law giving the president authority to undertake war against al Qaeda and its affiliates.

The law does give lawmakers 240 days to debate and pass a new AUMF in its place.

{mosads}The provision, introduced by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), was the only amendment to make it into the bill during the markup.

Read more here.

OUT OF ORDER?: The House Foreign Affairs Committee cried foul over the AUMF amendment following its acceptance into the appropriations bill.

“This provision should have been ruled out of order,” GOP House Foreign Affairs Committee spokesman Cory Fritz said in a statement to The Hill. 

The committee argues the provision violates the House’s rules, suggesting it may be stripped from the bill.

Read more about the issue here. 

HOUSE PANEL FINISHES ITS BILL, TOO: The House Armed Services Committee wrapped up the markup for its version of the NDAA late Wednesday night, easily passing its $696.5 billion defense policy bill just before midnight.

The committee’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed 60-1 and now moves to the full House for a vote after the July 4 recess.

Read more about the bill here.

AMENDMENT RECAP: Here’s a roundup of the various issues that came up during the mark up:

–Committee votes to move forward with the creation of a Space Corps 

–Amendment on Trump travel, properties voted down

–Dems target Trump’s border plan, bar Pentagon funding on wall

–Republicans leave transgender policy in place for now

–Lawmakers back amendment requiring Pentagon climate change report

SENATE BILL DOESN’T REQUIRE TRUMP PLAN ON ISIS, AFGHANISTAN: The Senate Armed Services Committee’s annual defense policy bill would not mandate the Trump administration send Congress a strategy against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) because lawmakers recently received one, a committee aide said Thursday.

Likewise, the Senate panel’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would not mandate the administration send a strategy on Afghanistan because the Pentagon is already working on one, the aide said.

“We just received the strategy on ISIS that was part of the appropriations bill,” the aide said at a background briefing. “With respect to Afghanistan, there’s nothing particular that requires a strategy. Everyone’s aware they are working on one.”

Read more here.

The Senate panel also plans to authorize a fraction of the extra soldiers the Army has requested, with committee aides saying that the request for 17,000 troops was not a realistic goal for the year.

Read the rest here.

ICYMI: 

— The Hill: Senate passes deal to advance Russia sanctions bill

— The Hill: Treasury announces new sanctions aimed at North Korea

— The Hill: Trump to meet Putin at G-20 Summit

— The Hill: Grassley: Why hasn’t acting FBI chief recused himself on Flynn? 

— The Hill: Homeland Security Secretary touts immigration bills

— The Hill: Syria: US warning meant to justify new attack

–The Hill: Top GOP senator wants vote on Trump’s FBI nominee in July

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