Thursday, October 8, 2015

Senate passes defense bill that supports US-Israel partnerships


WASHINGTON – The Senate passed a key defense spending bill with a veto-proof majority Wednesday afternoon posing a challenge to Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, who has said that he will garner enough votes to sustain an anticipated veto from President Barack Obama. The National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2016 contains provisions to fund joint US-Israel defense projects, including a new anti-tunneling initiative.

Obama opposes the bill because it allows defense spending to sidestep the cuts to the defense budget dictated by the across-the-board sequestration, which went into effect in 2013 after Congress and the White House failed to agree on budget-reducing measures. Instead, this bill funds almost $38 billion to the Defense Department by dipping into an account meant to be reserved for overseas operations during wartime. (READ MORE)