{"id":136262,"date":"2019-06-21T19:32:36","date_gmt":"2019-06-21T19:32:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/06\/21\/senate-defense-bill-could-tackle-iran-border-wall-and-saudisbut-dont-count-on-it\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:17:46","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:17:46","slug":"senate-defense-bill-could-tackle-iran-border-wall-and-saudisbut-dont-count-on-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/06\/21\/senate-defense-bill-could-tackle-iran-border-wall-and-saudisbut-dont-count-on-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Senate defense bill could tackle Iran, border wall and Saudis \u2015 but don\u2019t count on it"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2015 The Senate takes up the 2020 defense policy bill<\/a> on Monday, but votes on hot topics like Pentagon support at the southern border, the president\u2019s authority to go to war with Iran, and his continued authorities for Iraq and Afghanistan could be derailed by congressional fights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senators have offered roughly 600 amendments to the massive National Defense Authorization Act, which authorizes $750 billion for national defense. But in recent years, more controversial amendments have been blocked while only packages of unobjectionable amendments have passed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s become common<\/a> for several uncompromising senators to block debate on all other amendments to the NDAA if they cannot get guaranteed votes on their own proposals. Last year saw such a tangle between Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham, Chuck Grassley, Mike Lee and Rand Paul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll try to have an open amendment process, but as you know, that\u2019s contingent on people on both sides cooperating,\u201d said the Senate majority whip, Sen. John Thune, R-S.D. \u201cAs soon as someone objects to not getting [a vote for] their amendment, you get into this lockdown.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After forcing leaders on Thursday to run out the procedural clock on the NDAA, Paul suggested he would block other senators from getting amendment votes unless they agree to give him a vote on his amendments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI do believe we should demand an open debate with amendments,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul has filed six amendments to the bill, including two that have jammed up the process in the past. One would require a military pullout from Afghanistan and another would bar indefinite detention of enemy combatants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., will manage the bill\u2019s progress, and he expressed concern Thursday that Paul could impede debate if he is dissatisfied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe could actually block this for a long period of time,\u201d Inhofe, said of Paul. \u201cIf you remember last year, one bloc of amendments got through \u2015 and there were countless amendments from Democrats and Republicans [that didn\u2019t].\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To name a small fraction this year, lawmakers are hoping for votes on chemical contamination at military bases; a boost to F-35 aircraft procurement; expanded Iran sanctions; U.S. arms sales to Taiwan; increased aid to Israeli missile defense; restrictions on surveillance equipment exports to China; a buy-America requirement for the military\u2019s eating utensils; restrictions on arms sales and U.S. nuclear cooperation with Saudi Arabia; reimposing sanctions on North Korea; and the politically sensitive topic of election security.<\/p>\n\n\n\t