Senate Postpones FY 2006 Defense Appropriations Bill
The Senate’s recent decision Tuesday to indefinitely delay consideration of the FY 2006 defense authorization bill will create a tight timeline after the summer recess, in order to meet the September 30, 2005 deadline without requiring ‘continuing resolutions’ to fund wartime military operations.
If the bill is not considered until after the August recess, GovExec.com reports that it might also change the makeup and resolve of lawmakers supporting Sen. John Thune’s (R-SD) language to push back BRAC base closures until the Pentagon completes several sweeping reviews and most troops return from Iraq.
Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner (R-VA) supported a cloture petition pushed by Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) that would have limited debate on the authorization bill and moved it to a vote by Wednesday night. When cloture fell 10 votes short of the required two-thirds majority, the Senate changed tacks and voted to immediately consider and pass liability protrection for gun manufacturers before the session ended.
Thune and six other Republicans broke ranks on the cloture petition, largely because of concerns that it would have prevented debate on the BRAC language and other controversial amendments.
The Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission finishes its analysis and recommendations by Sept. 8, 2005, and Thune believes that once the moves are finalized, affected members would be more mobilized than ever to delay the closings. But similar amendment attempts failed this spring in the House.
