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OVERNIGHT DEFENSE: Senate takes up defense budget bill
Shields up: One issue that could ruffle a few feathers on the Senate side is House lawmakers' decision to finance a new missile defense shield for the Eastern seaboard. Members of the House Armed Services Committee want an East Coast missile shield up and running by the end of 2015. To get there, House members plunked down $100 million for the system in its version of the fiscal '13 defense bill. Reps. Michael Turner (R-Ohio) and Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) claim the missile shield will make sure U.S. borders are protected against missile threats from Iran and elsewhere. But in the Democrat-controlled Senate, GOP members could have to shield the missile shield from the budget axe.
¡Guantanamera!: Another House fight that is sure to make its way to the other side of Capitol Hill is the debate over detainee rights. Last Friday, House members capped weeks of contentious debate on the issue last Friday when they rejected a plan banning indefinite detention of terror suspects caught in the United States.
Taiwan fight: A plan to sell F-16 fighters to Taiwan might have taken off in the House bill, but it could come crashing down once the Senate gets a hold of the legislation. House members passed a measure guaranteeing the United States would sell no less than 66 fighters to Taipei, to help that island nation defend itself against Chinese aggression. The White House opened the door for such a move when it shifted its stance on selling arms to Taiwan earlier this year. Defense lawmakers might not repeal the House move wholesale, but expect the language — specifically on the number of planes to be sold — to be softened significantly once the final Senate defense mark is complete.
Open and shut: As many readers of The Hill know, the Senate — unlike its House counterpart — marks up its bills behind closed doors. But the Project on Government Oversight is making a lobbying push for the committee to open up its full committee markup. The group has the support of 45 organizations and submitted a petition to the senators on the committee with 1,000 signatures. The group is hoping to convince the committee’s senators when they vote this week whether the full mark-up should be open or closed, though it’s unlikely the panel will break with their tradition and change things. A Levin spokeswoman tells The Hill the Senate markups are closed because the committee discusses classified information in its deliberations.
But there's a small sign that things may be changing ...
One will be open: The Readiness subcommittee markup, chaired by Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), will be open to the public, if you’re looking to catch a glimpse of the committee in action. This will be the second year in a row that McCaskill’s subcommittee has been the lone open markup as the panel works on the authorization bill.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
— Senators press for improved veterans housing policies
— Anti-NATO protesters target Boeing
— Report: White House scrapped CentCom's request for third carrier group off Iran coast
— Iraqi military to buy unmanned US drones to monitor oil fields
— China hits US over House vote to sell Taiwan F-16 fighters
— NATO approves first phase of European missile shield
— NATO chief: ‘No intention’ of intervention in Syria
