Senate Democrats on Thursday blocked consideration of a $575.9 billion defense appropriations bill in protest over the use of war funding to evade mandatory budget caps, fulfilling their promise to hold up legislation until majority Republicans agree to budget talks.
The 50-45 vote to limit debate on proceeding to the bill came as Democratic leaders sent a letter demanding a bipartisan meeting to negotiate an end to sequestration spending caps mandated by the Budget Control Act of 2011.
“We cannot and we should not fix part of our government and not the other part,” Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said before the vote. “We have until this fiscal year ends in the fall to work this out. And that’s what we should do.”
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The defense appropriations bill was the first test of the Democrats’ threat to block all fiscal 2016 spending bills without an overall budget agreement. The threat has been backed up by President Obama, who had pledged to veto the bill if it clears Congress.
Earlier on Thursday, the Senate by a 71-25 vote had passed the annual bill that authorizes the $38 billion shift in regular operating and maintenance funds to the war account as an emergency measure aimed at easing what military leaders say is a dangerous shortfall in readiness, after Republicans argued that the bill also contains important reforms that will save taxpayers money.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, noting the lopsided vote in favor of the authorization bill, suggested that it was inconsistent for Democrats to support the bill authorizing Pentagon spending and then refuse to actually spend the money by blocking the accompanying appropriations bill minutes later.
‘Here’s the issue … you just voted for the troops and now you’re going to vote against them?” he asked. “That’s the fundamental question before us.”
McConnell can try again to bring up the bill, but if he can’t sway any Democratic votes either by persuasion or popular pressure, he may be forced to accept the Democrats’ demand to talk. That’s something which has GOP lawmakers angrily suggesting Democrats are holding defense spending “hostage” to gain budget increases in domestic and social programs.
“To hold defense hostage … because somehow we’ve discovered that no matter what the worldwide situation is we need equity in spending, is outrageous,” said Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo.
The successful authorization bill sets policy for the Pentagon for fiscal 2016, including which weapons to buy and how much troops are paid. It also includes a provision that would give individual service chiefs more power over weapons-buying decisions and create other new measures to increase accountability.
Reforming the acquisition process is a major concern of Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., who called the change “the most sweeping acquisition reform in a generation.
“This legislation is a reform bill, first and foremost … there are fundamental changes made in the way the Pentagon does business,” he said.
The House passed its version of the authorization bill May 15, and McCain told reporters after Thursday’s vote he expects a quick resolution of the differences between the two versions in conference talks between the two chambers.
“I am totally convinced we can get the bill back out of conference in July, probably early July,” McCain said.
If lawmakers can overcome a presidential veto threat on that legislation, this could be the first time since 1997 that the bill has become law in time for the Oct. 1 start of the fiscal year.
