House to vote on defense bill that Obama threatens to veto

The defense policy bill is one of the few bipartisan measures in Congress that has readily become law for more than a half-century. Not so fast this year, as President Barack Obama threatens to veto the bill moving through the House amid a bitter dispute about government spending.

 

The argument is whether Congress should break through spending caps when it comes to defense, but adhere to them for domestic agencies. Obama and his Democratic supporters say no. Republicans, citing global threats around the world, say yes.

 

The $612 billion defense policy bill for next year gives Obama the increase in funding he requested, but he’s unhappy with the way lawmakers did it. They increased defense spending by padding a war-fighting account with an extra $38.3 billion. That account — for Overseas Contingency Operations, or OCO — is not subject to the caps.

 

The House is scheduled to vote on the bill Thursday.

 

Among other things, the bill maintains restrictions on transferring terror suspects out of the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; provides a 1.3 percent pay increase to service members; authorizes lethal assistance to Ukraine forces fighting Russian-backed rebels; extends the ban on torture to the CIA; and authorizes the president’s request of $715 million to help Iraqi forces fight Islamic State militants.

 

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