September 06, 2016, 07:12 pm
Senate Democrats block defense funding bill for third time
By Jordain Carney
Democrats on Tuesday blocked the Senate from moving forward with a spending bill for the Defense Department ahead of a looming deadline to fund the government.
Senators voted 55-43 on a procedural hurdle for the defense appropriations bill, with 60 votes needed to move forward. Democratic Sens. Joe Donnelly (Ind.) and Joe Manchin (W.Va.) supported ending debate over taking up the legislation.
Republicans have slammed the Democratic filibuster, arguing that they're undercutting financial support for troops. The floor fight comes after the Senate's $574.5 billion defense spending bill passed unanimously out of the Appropriations Committee earlier this year.
"It’s also hard to explain why — despite the array of terror attacks we’ve seen across the world — Senate Democrats decided to block a bill that could help keep the American people safer from threats like ISIL," said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ahead of the vote, using an alternative name for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Democrats blocked the funding bill twice before the summer recess and vowed to hold up the appropriations process until McConnell pledged to uphold a two-year budget deal and keep out "poison pill" riders.
The legislative stalemate comes as lawmakers have roughly three weeks to reach a deal on funding the government ahead of the Oct. 1 deadline. Democrats are warning they will oppose any spending bill that stretches into 2017.
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) predicted earlier Tuesday that much of September would be focused on reaching an agreement to keep the federal government open.
"Speaker Ryan and Senator McConnell should understand that Democrats will not support ten more weeks away from Washington, D.C. We have a lot of work to do. We cannot ignore the nation's work any longer," Reid said.
Lawmakers also still need to wrap up a conference committee on merging the House and Senate versions of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The wide-ranging policy bill authorizes the money in the separate defense appropriations bill.
more
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/294715-senate-democrats-reject-defense-bill-for-third-time
