Senate passes FY-19 defense policy bill

By John Liang / June 18, 2018 at 7:29 PM

The full Senate late this afternoon passed the $716 billion fiscal year 2019 defense authorization bill by an 85-10 vote.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-AZ) said in a statement the bill "continues our reform agenda and helps better position the Department of Defense and the joint force to implement the National Defense Strategy by continuing to restore readiness, rebuild capacity, and modernize capabilities."

McCain, who is undergoing medical treatment for brain cancer in Arizona, said in the statement he is "grateful to Senator Jim Inhofe [(R-OK)] for shepherding this important legislation in my absence and to [committee Ranking Member] Jack Reed [(D-RI)] for the spirit of partnership he always brings to this endeavor."

While McCain wished the Senate "had been able to come to an agreement to debate and vote on more amendments, I am glad the legislation proceeded under regular order and that Senators Inhofe and Reed were able to work with leadership to incorporate 45 amendments from colleagues on both sides of the aisle. And I'm proud that the Senate Armed Services Committee did its work by considering and adopting over 300 bipartisan amendments during the committee mark-up."

The Senate Armed Services Committee's bill and accompanying report can be found here.

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