{"id":23896,"date":"2021-11-14T19:50:51","date_gmt":"2021-11-14T19:50:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/11\/14\/senate-likely-to-move-defense-bill-this-week-schumer-says\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:12:35","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:12:35","slug":"senate-likely-to-move-defense-bill-this-week-schumer-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/11\/14\/senate-likely-to-move-defense-bill-this-week-schumer-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Senate \u2018likely\u2019 to move defense bill this week, Schumer says"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2015 The Senate is \u201clikely\u201d to vote on its long-delayed annual defense policy bill<\/a> this week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a Sunday letter to lawmakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, a bipartisan package meant to make the U.S. economy more competitive against China and bolster U.S. supply chains, may be added to the Senate\u2019s 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, Schumer, D-N.Y., also said in the letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schumer will seek a vote to repeal the 2002 Iraq war authorization. Based on a bill<\/a> from Sens. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Todd Young, R-Ind., the move would represent a step toward Congress reclaiming its constitutional war-making powers from the presidency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schumer said he was raising the defense bill Monday amid further delays for the Democrats\u2019 ambitious Build Back Better legislation, a $1.75 trillion social spending and climate bill. The House is first expected to take up the package this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Democratic leader had faced criticism from Republicans and some Democrats<\/a>, including House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash., for not advancing the NDAA. The legislation is a massive budget policy measure that has passed through Congress annually for almost six decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only a small fraction of the hundreds of proposed NDAA amendments <\/a>will likely see votes, if recent history is a guide. These include amendments to establish an independent Afghanistan commission, boost military support for Ukraine amid intensifying Russian activity<\/a>, kill the Biden administration\u2019s vaccine mandate<\/a> and transfer control of the Washington, D.C. National Guard<\/a> from the president to the mayor.<\/p>\n\n\n\t