Defense spending bill blocked in Senate -- again

Senate Democrats blocked consideration of the fiscal year 2017 defense appropriations bill before a planned seven-week adjournment, increasing the likelihood of a stop-gap continuing resolution in September.

A 55-42 procedural vote on Thursday failed to cross the 60-vote threshold required to invoke cloture and begin debate on the bill. The GOP majority's attempt to begin consideration of the bill was first defeated last week by a 50-44 vote.

Despite the second defeat that halts the appropriations process, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) filed a motion for another cloture vote on the defense appropriations bill for Sept. 6.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-AZ) had harsh words for his colleagues across the aisle.

“For pure, pure partisan and political reasons, we will not be moving forward to consider a bill to train, equip the men and women who are in the military, to give them their pay and benefits, and defend this nation,” he said on the Senate floor. “How do you do that in good conscience? How in the world do you refuse to take up legislation that its only purpose is to defend this nation, which is under assault?”

Senate Democrats have said they intend to block all spending bills unless they are given written assurance by the GOP that all appropriations measures will honor the 2015 Bipartisan Budget Act. Though the Senate appropriations bill sticks to the BBA, a House version of the measure shifts $16 billion from the Pentagon's overseas contingency operations account to the base budget to fund increased purchases of weapons systems and military end strength. Though the maneuver increases the Defense Department's base budget, it would require a new president to authorize a supplemental injection of cash before the OCO account runs out of money in April. Democrats refuse to increase defense spending unless it is met with a similar boost in non-defense funds.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said on the Senate floor July 7 that Democrats planned to leverage their opposition to the defense appropriations bill to increase government spending in other non-defense areas.

"We all know what they are trying to do here," he said. "We have a defense bill . . . and once that is done, the appropriations process will be wiped out, and we will be at the mercy of the Republicans in some form or fashion. With the defense bill done, everything else will be pushed away someplace else."

Along with a likely CR, the stalled appropriations process puts Congress on a path to require some sort of omnibus spending agreement after the presidential election.

Meanwhile, the Senate voted 90-7 to begin summer conference committee meetings to negotiate a final FY-17 defense authorization bill.