Bachmann wants 'clean' defense bill

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) pushed Thursday for a "clean" vote to extend defense funding for the rest of this year amid budget battles that could lead to a shutdown.

Bachmann said on CNN that she favored passing a standalone bill, introduced by Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) that would guarantee paychecks for members of the military in case the government runs out of money at the end of Friday and is forced to shut down.

"I think that we should have a clean bill that makes sure that the paychecks get to the troops on time," the Tea Party favorite said on CNN. "After all, now that President Obama has us engaged in a third war in Libya, I think it's imperative that troops not pay a price and none of the families back home should worry whether or not they're getting a check."

House Republicans are pushing full funding for the military this fiscal year as part of the legislation they passed Thursday to extend government funding for an additional week. That bill, which also cuts $12 billion, has been rejected by President Obama and Senate Democrats, who are locked in negotiations on a long-term deal to fund the government.

Lawmakers have expressed concern that members of the military would suffer the loss of a paycheck in the case of a shutdown, necessitating the extension of defense spending.

—Update: Earlier versions of this post incorrectly reported that Bachmann had favored stripping measures to eliminate federal funding for Planned Parenthood from Republicans' one-week continuing resolution, and from the legislation to fund the government for the remainder of this fiscal year.

This story was first posted at 8:16 a.m. and updated at 9:32 a.m. and 11:23 a.m.