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No end in sight for defense budget bill

After 13 days and more than 80 hours of debate on the 2008 defense budget, Senate leaders still have not found a way around the partisan divide over Iraq policy that will enable passage of the $647 billion policy measure.

Concluding a week in which the Senate couldn’t get enough votes for any Iraq-related amendments to overcome parliamentary roadblocks, Senate leaders said they need to do something.

“At some point we have to find a way to end this,” said Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., the Senate Armed Services Committee chairman and floor manager of the defense bill.

At least two more Iraq-related amendments are scheduled for debate Monday and Tuesday, with no signs that anyone can get the 60 votes needed under Senate rules to end debate and force action on legislation.

On Friday, the Senate deadlocked 47-47 on a Levin-sponsored amendment that called for a re-deployment of U.S. combat troops in Iraq, away from direct involvement in quelling sectarian violence and toward missions of training Iraqi forces, chasing down terrorists and protecting U.S. forces.

“I hope we can finish up the Iraq amendments as quickly as possible and move to the more than 100 amendments we have on the bill itself,” said Sen. John McCain, the Republican floor manager for the bill.

The Arizona senator underestimated the number of pending amendments. About 400 are pending, although many appear to be duplicative.

Levin bemoaned the fact the Senate has not been able to reach agreement to prevent more amendments from being offered.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., the Senate majority leader, vowed to get the bill done.

“We are headed in the right direction,” he said.

The defense bill includes authority for a 3.5 percent pay raise effective Jan. 1 for all service members, increases in bonuses and special pays and permission to start or continue hundreds of weapons programs.

The House passed its version of the bill in May, and has been waiting on the Senate to catch up so negotiations can begin on a final compromise version.

Depending on what emerges from the eventual conference to craft that compromise bill, there is a risk of a presidential veto, especially over Iraq-related provisions that White House and Pentagon officials believe could tie the hands of commanders in the field.