National Security Legislative Calendar

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June 17, 2013 update

[New information bolded and italicized]

After a three-ring circus last week with three different versions of defense bills, this week will be relatively quiet. Last week the full House completed consideration of the Fiscal Year 2014 Defense Authorization Bill, the Senate Armed Services Committee reported out its version of the bill and the House Appropriations Committee finished the Fiscal year 2014 Defense Appropriations Bill. This last bill may go to the House floor the week after next.

KEY FISCAL YEAR 2014 NATIONAL SECURITY BILLS

FISCAL YEAR 2014 DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION BILL

On April 10, the Administration submitted its proposed Fiscal Year 2014 budget for military spending. The request for the Pentagon base budget is $526.6 billion, a modest $900 million decrease from Fiscal Year 2013. But the budget ignored the automatic budget cuts under sequestration likely to be in effect next year, which would require an additional $52 billion in savings. Moreover, adding $88.5 billion tentatively slated largely for the war in Afghanistan, $18 billion for nuclear weapons-related programs in the Department of Energy and other military programs, the new national security budget totals $640.5 billion. Click here for a more complete analysis of the budget by Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.

On May 22, the House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee marked up or wrote its portion of the bill with few controversial items.The markup lasted less than eight minutes. The Subcommittee included funds requested by the Obama Administration for 14 new interceptor missiles on the West Coast and bars sharing classified missile defense information with the Russians. The Committee, like the Administration, ignored the sequestration or automatic budget cuts in place and reported a bill authorizing about $526.6 billion for the base budget and another $79.4 billion for the wars. Another Subcommittee agreed to raise the cost cap on a new aircraft carrier from $11.75 billion to $12.9 billion. Subcommittees rejected Pentagon proposals to launch a new round of base closings and to hike health care fees.

Early in the morning of June 6, the full committee approved the bill 59-2. The bill voted $552.1 billion for the base Pentagon budget and $85.8 billion largely for the war in Afghanistan, for a total of $637.9 billion. The sequester was ignored. At the full committee level, the committee mandated deployment of an East Coast missile defense by 2018, restricted missile defense cooperation with Russia, endorsed the nuclear triad, approved $581 million for the B61 life extension program, an increase of $44 million above the budget request, acted to block further nuclear weapons reductions and threatened to reduce nuclear non-proliferation funding if certain conditions are not met. The committee also blocked moving prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay prison and barred planning for any future base closings. Click here for a more complete analysis of the bill.

On June 14, the House approved the bill. In key votes, the House rejected amendments to trim missile defense, rejected restoration of funds for nuclear weapons reductions, voted to urge an accelerated withdrawal from Afghanistan, rejected closing the Guantanamo Bay prison, squeezed the Administration on its dealings with Russia and took many other positions. Click here to read a comprehensive list of amendments considered.

On June 13, the Senate Armed Services Committee reported out the bill 23-3. The bill approved $526.6 billion for the base Pentagon budget, $80.7 billion for the Afghanistan War and other overseas operations and $17.8 billion for Department of Energy national security programs, for a total of $625.1 billion. The committee, as with other committees, ignored the budget sequester. In some major decisions, the committee strengthened provisions on sexual assaults in the military but rejected 17 -9 a Gillibrand (D-NY) provision to take prosecution of major crimes out of the chain of command, refused to authorize an East Coast missile defense but approved $30 million for missile sensors in the place of those missiles, approved $9.3 billion for missile defense, authorized the Administration request of $528 for the Cooperative Threat Reduction program and increased the request for the Mixed Oxide (MOX) fuel program to $583 million.

Timing for full Senate consideration of the bill is completely up in the air.

FISCAL YEAR 2014 DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS BILL

On June 5, the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee completed work on the bill. It approved $512.5 billion for the base Pentagon budget, $28.1 billion above limits set by the 2011 deficit control law, $5.1 billion less than the Fiscal Year 2013 enacted level and $3.4 billion below the President’s budget. It also approved $85.8 billion in a separate fund largely for the Afghanistan war, a $1.5 billion decline from last year and $5 billion more than requested -- despite an anticipated 39% reduction of U.S. force levels in Afghanistan. The bill includes $70.2 million to work on an East Coast missile defense system and bars closing the Guantanamo Bay prison facility.

On June 12, the full House Appropriations Committee approved the bill by voice vote. The committee largely accepted the subcommittee mark. Besides the $70.2 million added for an East Coast missile defense, the bill included $107 million above the budget request to begin advance procurement of 14 additional ground based interceptors for Alaska. However, report language expressed concern about the status of the long range missile defense program and its deficiencies. It approved $379.4 million for the development of a new penetrating bomber and $528.4 million for Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction, the budget request.

IRAN

On April 16, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved by voice vote Senate Resolution 65, introduced by Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC). The measure says in part: "If the Government of Israel is compelled to take military action in legitimate self defense against Iran's nuclear weapons program, the United States Government should stand with Israel and provide, in accordance with United States law and the constitutional responsibility of Congress to authorize the use of military force, diplomatic, military, and economic support to the Government of Israel in its defense of its territory, people, and existence "

On May 22, the Senate voted 99-0 in favor of S Res 65 urging U.S. support for Israel if it decides to attack Iran’s nuclear program. The original measure was modified in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to give the president discretion to decide if any such attack was a legitimate act of self-defense. The measure has 91 co-sponsors.

On May 22, the House Foreign Affairs Committee approved HR 850, introduced by Chairman Royce (R-CA) and Engel (D-NY), a bill to place more sanctions on Iran and block the President from waiving the sanctions.

SYRIA

On May 21, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved 15-3 a bill (S 960) sponsored by Chairman Robert Menendez (D-NJ) to provide U.S. weapons to vetted Syrian rebels. The measure does not permit the use of U.S. military force in Syria.

FISCAL YEAR 2014 ENERGY AND WATER APPROPRIATIONS BILL

On April 10, the Administration submitted its proposed $18 billion Fiscal Year 2014 budget for nuclear weapons-related programs in the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration. The request includes $7.87 billion for nuclear weapons sustainment and modernization programs, an increase of $311 million (or 4.1%) from last year, and including budget transfers, the total is actually 7%. This extraordinary increase, while so many other programs are being decreased or held even, compares to a proposed $424.5 million for a key non-proliferation program called Global Threat Reduction Initiative (GTRI), a decrease of $76.5 million (or 15%) below the pre-sequester FY 2013 appropriated level. The request to extend the life of the B61 gravity bomb -- an estimated total program cost of $10.4 billion -- is increased from $369 million to $537 million, or 45%. The mixed oxide (MOX) fuel fabrication program, would take plutonium pits from dismantled nuclear warheads, and convert it into less dangerous materials, has been cut by about 27%. Click here for a more complete analysis of the budget by Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.

FISCAL YEAR 2014 BUDGET RESOLUTION

On March 13, the House Budget Committee approved a draft budget for Fiscal Year 2014 by a 22-17 vote while the same day, the Senate Budget Committee approved by a 12-10 vote the budget put forward by Chair Patty Murray . The Senate version would set defense budget authority for fiscal 2014 at $552 billion, about $8 billion below the level in the budget proposed by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI). Over the next 10 years, Murray’s plan would cut the Pentagon’s funding by about $240 billion. The Ryan budget prevents further across-the-board budget cuts known as sequestration from impacting the military budget. The Senate measure would provide $47 billion for war funding in 2014, a cut of 53 percent below the 2013 level, while the House measure provides $50 billion. The Senate measure provides a 9.6% increase over last year’s levels to the International Affairs Budget. The House Budget cuts these same programs by 7%,

On March 21, the House approved the Ryan Budget Resolution 221-207. Before doing so, it rejected several alternative budgets: The Grijalva (D-AZ) Progressive Caucus Budget by a vote of 84-327; the Van Hollen (D-MD) Democratic budget 165-253; the Scott (D-VA) Black Caucus budget 105-305; and the Woodall (R-VA) Republican Study Conference budget 104-132 (with 171 Democrats voting present).

Early on the morning of March 23, the Senate approved its version of the Budget Resolution by a vote of 50-49, a largely partisan vote after a long serious of votes. In one vote, the Cruz (R-TX) amendment to increase funding for an East Coast missile defense failed 25-74. An Ayotte (R-NH) to eliminate for the Medium Extended Air Defense System: (MEADS) was approved 94-5. There is no expectation that there will be a House-Senate agreement on the budget resolution.

TREATIES TO COMBAT NUCLEAR TERRORISM

On March 14, the House Judiciary Committee approved implementation legislation for two treaties to combat nuclear terrorism, the Nuclear Terrorism Conventions Implementation and Safety of Maritime Navigation Act of 2013 (H.R. 1073). On May 20, the full House approved the conventions by a vote of 390-3. The House of Representatives approved similar implementing legislation last year, but the Senate failed to act. The legislation would implement key requirements of the 2005 International Convention on the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT) and the essential 2005 amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM).

FISCAL YEAR 2014 FOREIGN OPERATIONS APPROPRIATIONS BILL

BILLS COMPLETED FOR THE YEAR

FISCAL YEAR 2013 CONTINUING RESOLUTION

On March 6, the House approved H.R. 933, the Fiscal Year 2013 Continuing Resolution, by a vote of 267-151. The bill totals $1.043 trillion, as does the Senate version. The sequester, which mandates another $85 billion in cuts during the fiscal year, is left largely intact in both bills . The bill provides funding for the government until the end of the fiscal year on September 30. The legislation includes full-year Defense, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bills, which passed the House last year. The bill funds most government programs at current FY 2012 levels, but includes a number of exceptions that fund certain programs at higher levels, including the National Nuclear Security Administration's weapon activities account. The bill does not eliminate the sequester, which took effect on March 1.

On March 20, the Senate approved the Continuing Resolution, offered by Sens. Mikulski (D-MD) and Shelby (R-AL), by a vote of 73-26 after rejecting most attempts to modify the bill. The Senate version added three more full-year appropriations bills, Agriculture, Homeland Security and Commerce, Justice and Science. Other appropriations, such as Department of Energy, will remain under the Continuing Resolution. For the Department of Energy, two exceptions to the requirement of spending at the Fiscal Year 2012 level are Section 1205, which increases funding for NNSA Weapons Activities by $363 million and Section 1206, which increases funding for NNSA Nonproliferation by $110 million. On March 21, the House approved the Senate version 318-109

2013 Congressional Recess Schedule

Friday, June 28 - Monday, July 8 - Congressional 4th of July recess

Friday, Aug. 2 - Monday, Sept.9 - Congressional summer recess

Friday, Sept. 20 - Monday, Sept. 30 - House recess

Friday, Oct. 11 - Tuesday, Oct. 22 - Congressional Columbus Day recess

Friday, Oct. 31 - Tuesday, Nov. 12 - Congressional Veterans Day recess

Thursday, Nov. 21 - Monday, Dec. 2 - House recess