Will the defense budget be brought down by a bird?
The political fight over the greater sage grouse is once again a sticking point for the National Defense Authorization Act. Republicans want language in the NDAA to keep the bird off the endangered species list because such restrictions could affect military training. Democrats insist that protections for the sage grouse and similar species will won’t affect these installations or their mission.
In this video, the Washington Examiner’s Jacqueline Klimas explains how the issue comes up every year, but this year is different because the conflict has forced the defense budget into the lame-duck session.
