The Senate confirmed Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., USMC, to be the 19th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) last week before adjourning for the summer recess. Dunford will replace Gen. Martin Dempsey. Dunford was nominated by President Obama in May to replace current CJCS Gen. Martin Dempsey when his term ends later [...]
Last week, the House Appropriations Committee (HAC) approved FY2016 appropriations for the Coast Guard, which are included in the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill. This marks the 12th and final FY2016 appropriations bill approved by the House Appropriations Committee (HAC). HAC chairman Harold Rogers (R-KY) said, “all committee work on funding measures [for FY2016] [...]
Senate Democrats moved last week to block consideration of the Senate Appropriations Committee-approved FY2016 DoD Appropriations bill on the Senate floor. A vote to proceed on the bill failed to gain the necessary 60 votes as 49 Republicans and only one Democrat, Sen. Donnelly (D-IN), voted yes. All 45 other voting Democrats voted against the [...]
Last week the Senate passed the FY2016 Defense Authorization bill 71-25. Forty-nine Republicans and twenty-two Democrats voted for the bill. Two Republicans (Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. Rand Paul) joined twenty-three Democrats voting against the bill. The House passed its version of the defense authorization bill in May 269-151. The annual Defense Authorization bill authorizes [...]
Last week, the House passed the FY2016 DoD Appropriations bill, 278-149. The final vote included 43 Democrats voting for the bill and only 5 Republicans voting against passage. The House bill would provide $490.2 billion for the DoD base budget (excluding military construction) and $88.4 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) in FY2016. The president [...]
Yesterday, the Senate Appropriations Committee (SAC) approved the FY2016 Department of Defense (DoD) Appropriations bill by a vote of 27-3. The SAC bill would provide $489.1 billion for the DoD base budget (excluding military construction). The bill also provides $86.8 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) in FY2016. The president requested $50.9 billion for OCO. [...]
This week, the full House Appropriations Committee (HAC) approved the FY2016 Department of Defense (DoD) Appropriations bill. The HAC bill would provide $490 billion for the DoD base budget (excluding military construction). The bill also provides $88 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) in FY2016. The president requested $50.9 billion for OCO. Committee chairman Rep. [...]
Last week the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) approved the FY2016 Defense Authorization bill by a vote of 22-4. Four Democrats, including Ranking Member Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), voted against the bill. The House passed its version of the bill this week. The bill authorizes force levels, programs, and policies (including military pay raises) for [...]
The House passed its version of the FY2016 Defense Authorization bill, 269-151 last week. The vote was primarily along party lines as 228 Republicans were joined by 41 Democrats in voting for the bill. Only 8 Republicans voted against the bill. The House bill authorizes $515 billion for the Department of Defense (DoD) and the [...]
The House passed the FY2016 Military Construction/Veterans Affairs appropriations bill (H.R. 2029). The vote (255-163) was essentially along party lines with 19 Democrats joining 236 Republicans in voting for the bill and four Republicans voting with 159 Democrats against passage. This bill and the FY2016 Energy and Water Appropriations bill, which the House also passed, [...]