The House passed the fiscal 2017 defense policy bill on Wednesday night, despite Democrats’ objections to both the funding mechanism and the lack of debate allowed on almost 200 amendments.
The chamber passed the National Defense Authorization Act on a 277-147 vote. The Senate is expected to consider its version of the bill on the floor this month.
Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., voted against the National Defense Authorization Act’s final passage because he said it puts the country on a “fiscal path to nowhere.”
Smith said lawmakers “fantasize” about having more money instead of dealing with the actual amount of funding available. This year, the House bill shifts $18 billion from the overseas contingency operations account to fund base priorities, which means money will run out for U.S. missions overseas in April. The White House this week said it would veto the bill if that mechanism is still in place by the time it reaches President Obama’s desk.
He also called it “condescending and irresponsible” to say that anyone who opposes the defense bill does so because they don’t support the troops.
While Smith said he was willing to overlook the funding mechanism, the Rule Committee’s refusal to let lawmakers vote on an amendment that he said would have restored protections for LGBT federal employees and contractors solidified his “no” vote on the bill. Those provisions were stripped out during the House Armed Services Committee’s mark up.
Smith, who also voted against the fiscal 2016 defense policy bill last year, said he hoped the Rules Committee would loosen debate in future years and allow lawmakers to go on the record on issues. Wednesday’s debate on the House floor covered a range of issues and 120 amendments that the Rules Committee approved for consideration on the floor, in addition to the 60 it debated on Tuesday.
Rep. Sean Maloney, D-N.Y., gave an impassioned floor speech on the motion to recommit, which would have prevented the bill from moving forward as-is, saying he could not support the bill because it discriminates against lesbian and gay workers and reverses Obama’s anti-discrimination orders for federal employees and contractors.
“This is not about supporting our troops. It’s not about fighting ISIS. It’s not about religious protections. We can do all that and we should. This is about bigotry, plain and simple,” he said. “This is not some procedural vote to be waved away. This is about whether we will affirm equal rights or rationalize discrimination.”
Maloney continued speaking after his time had expired, yelling over the banging of the gaval and the yells and applause of other lawmakers.
The motion to recommit, however, failed by a 181-243 vote.
The House defeated an amendment 159-266 from Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., that would require the Defense Department to evaluate the cost of different types of energy and then use the cheapest option, regardless of how environmentally friendly that was. Buck said the military’s focus should be protecting the nation, not “serving as a playground for the green energy movement.”
The amendment faced bipartisan opposition. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., spoke out against the proposal and said it would impede Fort Drum in her home district, which is 100 percent energy independent and self-sustainable, from pursuing additional energy initiatives.
The House also approved an amendment that would prohibit the Pentagon from implementing the president’s climate change executive orders.
The House also debated whether to repeal the 2001 authorization for the use of military force, which allows military operations against terrorists. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., introduced the amendment that would repeal the decade-plus-old authorization 90 days after passage of the defense bill and force Congress to use that time to pass a new Islamic State-specific bill.
Lee called the 2001 AUMF a “blank check for war” that had been used 37 times in 14 countries with no input from Congress.
But Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., said the amendment could unilaterally end the fight against both the Islamic State and al Qaeda if Congress is unable to pass a new authorization, which it has failed to do for nearly two years.
“This amendment would leave us with no strategy and no authority. That’s irresponsible,” he said.
The House rejected the amendment by a 138-285 vote.
The House overwhelmingly voted against an amendment from Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., that would reduce the base defense budget, excluding healthcare, by 1 percent. The amendment failed by a 63-360 vote, with 3 Republicans joining 60 Democrats in supporting the plan to cut spending.
