Senators aren’t bracing for the sort of drama that gripped the House as it passed its annual defense bill last week, but there could still be bumps in the road as the Senate attempts to pass its own version before the August recess.
Sending the National Defense Authorization Act to the president’s desk is normally a bipartisan affair — in the face of Washington gridlock, it’s one of the only bills to get through Congress reliably.This year will be no exception, but Republicans' tight margins in the House this term are adding a level of partisanship not ordinarily seen with the bill.
“We want both sides to have input, but neither side should derail the bill,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Wednesday as the process got underway. “We should avoid the chaos we saw last week in the House that greatly hindered their NDAA process.” Any"toxic" votes that are agreed to will fail, thanks in part to a 60-vote threshold required for nongermane amendments in the chamber.
But the process requires Senate leaders to navigate a delicate balance on what makes it to the floor, choosing among the 800-plus amendments that have been filed. The Senate has finished voting for the week and will resume Tuesday evening. But the bulk of the amendments will make it to the floor Wednesday and Thursday, the final days to pass the bill before lawmakers skip town for the month of August.
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