WASHINGTON \u2014 White House officials offered strong objections to portions of the Senate\u2019s proposed defense authorization bill in advance of floor debate next week, including protections to the military pay raise and plans to cut back on housing stipends for some military families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The move, typical for major pieces of legislation, adds another layer of complexity to the authorization bill work, already weeks behind schedule. The $692 billion measure includes policy and spending priorities for both basic military operations in fiscal 2018 and overseas contingency operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a statement of administration policy<\/a>, White House officials praised the measure\u2019s \u201csubstantial reforms to Department of Defense management and business practices\u201d but also listed numerous concerns, including its prohibition on another base closing round. Military officials insist they could $2 billion annually by closing underused bases, but lawmakers have staunchly opposed the idea in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It also includes language backed by Sens. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., which would block the president from citing \u201ceconomic concerns\u201d as a reason to decouple the military pay raise from the Employment Cost Index, which estimates private sector wage growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Senators have argued the move unfairly drops troops\u2019 pay raises, but White House officials argued it is overly restrictive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBeing able to adjust military compensation nimbly in response to serious economic conditions affecting the general welfare is not only essential to \u2026 recruit and retain a ready and capable uniformed services,\u201d the statement reads, \u201cbut it is also required to balance military compensation costs against other investments critical to readiness, equipment, and modernization.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Senate bill calls for a 2.1 percent pay raise this year, the same level President Donald Trump has requested. It\u2019s below the 2.4 percent raise mandated under federal rules (and included in the House version of the authorization bill), and White House officials have cited those emergency powers in seeking the lower number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n