The House is expected to consider HR 4904, the FY2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) this week, and last night, in advance of that consideration, the Administration issued a Statement of Administrative Policy (SAP) threatening to veto the measure. The White House objects to the NDAA saying the legislation for shifting billions in war funds to support unrequested base Pentagon programs, arguing the maneuver “attempts to unravel” last fall’s two-year budget agreement that raised caps on both defense and domestic spending.
The annual measure, which is required yearly to direct the Department of Defense on larger policy and operations, is no stranger to controversy. The House’s version of the FY2017 NDAA shifts more than $23 billion in war-related Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funds to the Pentagon’s base budget and leaves enough funding to support military contingencies only through next April. The House Committees have previously used the OCO accounts as a means to circumvent the sequester caps, since the OCO accounts were expressly exempted from the Sequester.
Additionally, the House Rules Committee crafted a rule to remove a provision in the NDAA that requires women ages 18 to 26 register for the military draft without debate or a vote. The Rules Committee accepted an amendment by Committee Chairman Pete Sessions (R-TX) to remove the provision and study the Selective Service System. In a procedural twist, Sessions’ amendment is “considered as adopted,” meaning the provision will be automatically stripped from the bill when the full House adopts the broad rule for debate Tuesday, as expected.
The House is expected to pass the NDAA this week.