House passes USD 612 billion defence bill opposed by Obama
The House has passed a nearly USD 612 billion US defence policy bill despite a veto threat by President Barack Obama.
Caption: A file photo.
WASHINGTON (AP): The House has passed a nearly USD 612 billion US defence policy bill despite a veto threat by President Barack Obama.
Democrats oppose it because they say the measure paves the way to cutting domestic programs later this year.
Friday's vote was 269-151 for the bill, which maps next year's military and national security programmes.
A 2011 bipartisan budget deal placed caps on defense and domestic spending. The defense bill skirts those limits by putting USD 89 billion of the total into an emergency war-fighting fund exempt from the caps.
Democrats predict that Republicans won't take similar steps to protect domestic programmes in upcoming spending bills.
Democrats oppose it because they say the measure paves the way to cutting domestic programs later this year.
Friday's vote was 269-151 for the bill, which maps next year's military and national security programmes.
A 2011 bipartisan budget deal placed caps on defense and domestic spending. The defense bill skirts those limits by putting USD 89 billion of the total into an emergency war-fighting fund exempt from the caps.
Democrats predict that Republicans won't take similar steps to protect domestic programmes in upcoming spending bills.
