2014 Defense Funds All But Certain
The Senate voted late Thursday night to approve a massive authorization of Department of Defense funds for 2014. The House, already in holiday recess, passed the bill several weeks ago.
In a vote of 84-15, the Senate approved $527 billion in funds, as well as reforms to military sexual assault procedure and Guantanamo Bay policy. The measure did not include new Iran sanctions.
The President is expected to sign the bill in the coming days.
Budget Deal Knocks Military Pensions
As Congress finalizes a budget – the first of its kind in years – one notable victim is military pensions.
“Under the two-year agreement, working-age military retirees would see their pensions increase at a slower pace, with their cost-of-living adjustments pegged to the rate of inflation minus 1 percentage point. Once they turned 62, they would go back to receiving adjustments pegged to the full rate of inflation,” according to Politico.
The deal is expected to save $6 billion over ten years. While prominent veterans’ groups and Senators are unhappy, other senior military officials believes it is positive progress.
Senators Demand CIA Interrogation Report
Last December, the CIA completed an internal study on its detention and interrogation programs that has yet to be declassified and read by congressional intelligence oversight committees. The report is believed to condemn the agency’s past detention and interrogation practices.
Senators charged with overseeing such controversial measures want a chance to review the report themselves. “Unless we know the administration’s basis for sanctioning a program, it is very hard to oversee it,” said Senate Intelligence Chairman Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).
Top Senate Dems Defy White House on Iran Sanctions
While Congress will not raise Iran sanctions before it breaks for the holidays, plans to do so in January have emerged. Three top senators, including two Democrats, have begun circulating a draft Iran sanctions bill called, “Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act of 2013,” according to Foreign Policy blog.
In addition to expanding the scope of current sanctions, the bill vows that the U.S. will “stand with Israel” if the nation takes legitimate military action in self-defense against Iran.
Johnson Confirmed as DHS Secretary
The Senate confirmed Jeh C. Johnson as secretary of homeland security on Monday.
Johnson’s confirmation was largely uncontroversial; he was overwhelmingly confirmed by a vote of 78 to 16, which included all Democrats and a majority of Republicans. Johnson was previously vetted by the Senate for his appointment as General Counsel of the Air Force by President Clinton in 1998.
