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June 28, 2020 Update
[New information bolded and italicized]
Both the Senate and House are slated to be working on the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Bill this week.
On June 24, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell brought up the Senate version of the bill, S. 4049. The next day, the Senate voted to close further debate on the motion to proceed to the bill by a vote of 90-7. On Monday, the full Senate will next vote on the motion to proceed.
At that point, the Senate could begin considering amendments to the bill. As of this past Friday, 529 amendments had been submitted to the bill. But if past is prologue, very few amendments will see the light of day and even fewer will be voted upon. Recent practice is that only versions of amendments that both Democrats and Republicans agree to in advance will be considered as a package.
In the meantime, last week the House Armed Services subcommittees held markups on the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Bill and full committee will consider the entire bill on July 1. Chairman Adam Smith released a summary of the bill on Saturday. The bill will next go to the House floor.
Key Fiscal Year 2020 National Security Bills
Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Bill
Reminder: the two-year budget deal between Congress and the White House caps the 2021 budget at $740 billion, compared to $738 billion appropriated for 2020.
On February 10, the Trump administration submitted its Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 budget request to Congress of $740.5 billion, only a modest change from FY 2020 because of last year’s budget deal between Congress and the White House. Some highlights include a big increase in the request for nuclear weapons refurbishment, the beginning of a phase out of the Overseas Contingency Operations budget and a reduction of almost $12 billion in the international affairs budget that pays for diplomacy.
Click here to see analysis of the defense budget by the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, the Council’s sister organization.
The Senate Armed Services Committee marked up or wrote the fiscal year 2021 National Defense Authorization Bill the week of June 11.
The bill supports funding of $740.5 billion in military spending. The Committee put forward as the primary rationale for high military budgets the decline of U.S. military superiority, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region, plus “threats from other aggressors — rogue states like Iran and North Korea” and terrorist organizations.
One major new initiative is establishment of a new Pacific Deterrence Initiative at a cost this year of $1.4 billion and $5.5 billion in Fiscal Year 2022.
Click here for the analysis of the Senate bill by the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.
Fiscal Year 2021 Defense Appropriations Bill
Reminder: the two-year budget deal between Congress and the White House caps the 2021 budget at $740 billion, compared to $738 billion appropriated for 2020.
The House Appropriations Committee released its plans for subcommittee consideration of the Defense Appropriations Bill on July 8 at 3:00 p.m.
Full committee markups will begin on July 9. The full House is expected to vote on spending bills during the last two weeks in July.
The Senate Appropriations Committee schedule for markups has been delayed from the original projection of the week of June 22.
Emergency action on coronavirus and economic crisis
In early March, Congress passed the $8.3 billion Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act.
On March 18, the Senate approved the second major piece of legislation cost about $100 billion to deal with the preeminent national security and health threat to the country and the world: the coronavirus disease pandemic.
The overwhelming vote for the Families First Coronavirus Response Act was 90-8. On March 14, the House had approved the bill by a strong bipartisan majority 363-40, with the 40 no votes cast by Republicans.
Late the night of March 25, after many starts and stops, the Senate unanimously approved the $2 trillion emergency package intended to deal with the tumult in the economy in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. The final vote was 96-0. $10.5 billion of the measure is slated for the Pentagon.
The week of April 27, Congress passed the fourth coronavirus package totaling $484 billion.
On May 15, the House approved a $3 trillion measure to fight the coronavirus, the fifth such package. The vote was 208-199. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has declared the bill dead on arrival.
War Powers Resolution and War With Iran
On January 9, the House voted to force President Trump to seek congressional approval for further military action against Iran. The war powers measure offered by Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) was approved by an almost party-line vote of 224-194, with three Republicans voting yes (Gaetz, Massie and Rooney) and eight Democrats voting no (Brindisi, Cunningham, Gottheimer, Horn, Luria, McAdams, Murphy and Rose).
On January 30, an amendment by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) to repeal the 2002 Authorization to Use Military Force (AUMF), which has been used by administrations of both parties to cover combat in many places, was approved 236-166, with 11 Republicans and 1 independent voting “yea,” while 2 Democrats voted “nay.”
A second measure offered the same day by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) to prohibit U.S. military action against Iran without prior congressional approval was adopted 228-175, with four Republicans and an independent voting “yea” and three Democrats voting “nay.”
On February 13, the Senate approved the Kaine (D-VA), Durbin (D-IL), Lee (R-UT) and Paul (R-KY) war powers measure, S.J.Res 68, a measure to limit the President’s actions against Iran. The vote was 55-45, with an unusually large number of eight Republican Senators voting aye: Lamar Alexander (TN), Todd Young (IN), Mike Lee (UT), Lisa Murkowski (AK), Susan Collins (ME), Rand Paul (KY, Bill Cassidy (LA) and Jerry Moran (KS).
On March 11, the House joined the Senate in approving the Kaine (D-VA), Durbin (D-IL), Lee (R-UT) and Paul (R-KY) war powers measure, S.J.Res 68, a bill adopted in the Senate to limit the President’s actions against Iran. The House vote was 227-186.
Six Republicans voted for the measure: Buck (CO), Griffith (VA), Massie (KY), Reed (NY), Schweikert (AZ) and Upton (MI). Six Democrats voted against: Brindisi (NY), Horn (OK), Luria (VA), McAdams (UT), Murphy (FL) and Rose (NY).
As expected, on May 7, the Senate failed to override President Trump’s veto of a resolution seeking to block him from taking further military action against Iran without explicit approval from Congress. The vote was 49-to-44 vote to override, a margin well short of the two-thirds majority needed to overcome the veto. Seven Republicans voted to override: Alexander (TN), Cassidy (LA), Collins (ME), Lee (UT), Murkowski (AK), Paul (KY), Young (IN).
Fiscal Year 2021 Budget Resolution
The Trump administration submitted its Fiscal Year 2021 budget request to Congress on February 10. In January 2020, House Budget Chair John Yarmuth (D-KY) and Senate Budget Committee Chair Mike Enzi (R-WY) suggested it is unlikely that the House will pass a Budget Resolution this year.
Fiscal Year 2021 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill
The House Appropriations Committee released its plans for subcommittee consideration of the Energy-Water bill on July 7, 3:00 p.m.
Fiscal Year 2021 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill
The House Appropriations Committee released its plans for subcommittee consideration of the State-Foreign Operations bill on July 6: 4:00 p.m.
Fiscal Year 2021 Military Construction-Veterans’ Administration (VA) Bill
The House Appropriations Committee released its plans for subcommittee consideration of the M ilitary Construction-VA bill on July 6 ad 4:00 p.m.
REMAINING CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE IN 2020
Monday, June 1-Monday, June 29: Dates set aside for House committee meetings
Tuesday, June 30 – Thursday, July 2: House in for floor votes
Thursday, July 2 – Monday, July 20: Senate recess
Monday, July 6 – Friday, July 17: Dates set aside for House committee meetings
Monday, July 20 – Friday, July 31: House in for floor votes
Friday, July 31 – Tuesday, September 8: House August recess
Friday, August 7 – Tuesday, September 8: Senate August recess
Tuesday, September 8 – Friday, October 2:House in for floor votes
Friday, October 2 – Monday, November 16: House election recess
Friday October 9 -Monday, November 9: Senate election recess
Monday, November 16 – Friday, November 20: House in for floor votes
Friday, November 20 – Tuesday, December 1: House & Senate recess
Tuesday, December 1 – Wednesday December 9: House in for floor votes
