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| U.S. Senate passes massive defense spending bill |
| 2011-12-02 |
| U.S. Senate on Thursday evening passed a 662-billion-dollar Defense spending bill, after a long fight with the administration over how terror suspects should be detained. The bill, passed in a vote with overwhelming support of 93-7, would provide money for military personnel, weapons systems and defense programs, as well as the two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in the fiscal year that began Oct. 1. The bill came to the floor following a compromise late Thursday afternoon to add language on the detention of U.S. citizens and terror suspects on U.S. soil. It requires military custody of a suspected member of al-Qaida or its affiliates and involved in plotting or committing attacks on the United States. U.S. citizens would be exempt. The bill also allows the administration to waive the authority based on national security and hold a suspect in civilian custody. The White House has threatened to veto the defense authorization bill over requirements for terrorism suspects to be detained in military installations, calling it a "legally controversial restriction of the president's authority." The compromise was contained in an amendment offered by Sen. Dianne Feinstein. It states that the legislation did not alter existing law for the detention of U.S. citizens or anyone who was captured or arrested in the United States. The administration and Congress have tussled over the detainee provision in the bill. The White House has opposed mandatory military custody for terror suspects. The administration also opposes an indefinite ban on transferring Guantanamo detainees. With Senate greenlight, the bill now goes to conference committee with the House, which had its own ideas on terror suspects that must be reconciled with the Senate version. The House passed its version of the Defense bill in July. |
| Posted by:gorb |
| #2 Vote for every tax cut out there and remind everyone that Obean will grind through his credit card all that much quicker and have to come begging hat in hand for more. |
| Posted by: gorb 2011-12-02 14:26 |
| #1 The House passed its version of the Defense bill in July. Ah, yes. Mr. Reid's outstanding legislative skills on display. /sarc off - Thank you Nevada. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2011-12-02 08:28 |