Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked debate on an annual defense policy bill, objecting not only to President Donald Trump's war in Iran but also to provisions that would more closely integrate the US and Israeli militaries.
The Senate voted 50-46, almost entirely along party lines, against opening debate on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), in a rare setback for one of the legislature's few must-pass pieces of legislation.
The annual defense policy bill sought to authorize much of a $1.15 trillion military budget proposed by Trump. The motion needed 60 votes to advance in the 100-member Senate.
Democrats argued Congress should not move ahead with the legislation while Trump escalates the war in Iran. Some members also objected to provisions that would deepen US military and intelligence cooperation with Israel, as well as the record size of the Pentagon budget.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urged Democrats to oppose the bill, calling it “a permission slip” for the Trump administration to continue military operations in Iran without congressional oversight.
Outside Congress, a coalition of 14 civil liberties, foreign policy and anti-war organizations also urged lawmakers to oppose advancing the NDAA unless senators were guaranteed a vote on an amendment barring funding for what they described as Trump's unauthorized war against Iran.
But the war in Iran was only one of multiple reasons the bill has run into opposition. The version before the Senate has also triggered backlash over measures that would deepen US military and intelligence ties with Israel.
One key provision would require the Pentagon to appoint an official to coordinate between the US and Israel on defense technology, including joint weapons research, production and integration of technologies.
Several Democratic senators, including Chris Van Hollen, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Ed Markey, Jeff Merkley and Peter Welch, urged other senators last week not to advance the NDAA before the measures could be debated.
Senate Democrats' efforts reflect a broader shift within the Democratic Party, where support for Israel has cratered ahead of the November midterm elections. Israel's favorability rating among Democrats dropped from 59 percent in 2018 to 22 percent in May, according to a June Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Source: www.aljazeera.com