15 May 15. After OCO Drama, House Passes Defense Bill. The House on Friday voted to add billions to a list of Defense Department weapon programs from cuts, and signed off on a $495.9bn base Pentagon budget and an $89.2bn war account. The legislation proposes keeping alive the Air Force’s A-10 attack plane fleet and endorses extra funding for additional F/A-18 Super Hornet and F-35B Lightning II fighter jets for the Navy and Marine Corps. The final vote, 269-151, was closer than expected a week ago. That’s because House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith, D-Wash., and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California came out against the measure because it included nearly $40bn in additional funding for the Pentagon via a war account. Smith, Pelosi and President Barack Obama, who has issued a veto threat of the bill, are opposed because GOP leaders decided to inflate the war account but refuse to also increase domestic spending. Forty-one Democrats joined 228 Republicans voting to pass the bill. Smith and Pelosi got 143 Democratic no votes, with eight GOP members joining them. Smith on Thursday traded elbows with House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, who called the Democratic opposition — including whipping “no” votes — “shameful.” This shouldn’t be a tough vote,” Boehner said. “Democrats are now saying they support our troops before they opposed them.” Smith, however, got the last word.
“Speaker Boehner voted against the NDAA in 2009 and 2010 with well over 100 of his fellow Republicans joining him both times,” Smith said in a statement. “If he thinks it is so shameful to vote against the NDAA, then somebody should ask the speaker how he lives with his own shame.
“It is hypocritical and the height of shameless partisan pandering for him to now claim that a vote against the NDAA is a vote against the troops. It is not,” Smith added. “Regardless of whether we support the NDAA or not, we all support the brave men and women of our military who defend this country. Speaker Boehner is only implying otherwise in order to score cheap partisan points. Shame on him.”
Despite his opposition, Smith said on the floor just before the final passage vote “there are a lot of good things in this bill.” He pointed to Pentagon acquisition-reform language crafted largely by HASC Chairman Mac Thornberry, R-Texas. There also was drama over a provision on immigration added during a House Armed Services Committee markup of the bill. Members voted Thursday evening to strip the controversial measure, essentially clearing the way for final passage. Members handed the Defense Department and industry a list of victories on weapon program funding and its blessing to buy more of some big-ticket items than the services had included in their respective budget requests — despite spending caps. Responding to the Navy’s and Marine Corps’ shared list of “unfunded priorities” submitted earlier this year to lawmakers, the House bill includes language that would clear the services to purchase more fighter aircraft than requested.
“As the demand increases, it is vital that Congress address the shortfall in strike aircraft for the Navy and Marine Corps — including the replacement of Harrier aircraft lost in Afghanistan,” the committee fact sheet read.
The legislation, which must still be negotiated with Senate Armed Services Committee leaders, would allow the Navy to buy a dozen more F/A-18 Super Hornets, while also clearing the Marine Corps to purchase six F-35Bs above its request of nine. The chamber signed off on an additional $1.15bn for the extra 12 Boeing-made F/A-18 Super Hornets and an additional $1bn for the six additional Lockheed Martin-manufactured F-35Bs. The floor amendment and debate process featured no changes to the bill’s F-35 language. Members joined Thornberry in several actions that placed it in full support of the often-embattled F-35 program, which has been plagued by developmental and testing problems.
“The chairman also suppo