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发帖数: 29846 | 1 The Fiscal 2013 Defense spending bill that passed the House 326 to 90 with
bipartisan support Thursday evening included an amendment that would
prohibit President Barack Obama from making good on a deal with Russia that
he appeared to hint at earlier this year.
Introduced by Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), the amendment bars the administration
from sharing classified missile defense information with Russia.
In late March, an inadvertent hot-mic moment caught Obama asking Russian
president Dmitri Medvedev for “space” until after the election, saying he
would then have more “flexibility” to address issues such as missile
defense with the Russians.
Medvedev said he would transmit the president’s request to Vladimir Putin,
who assumed the Russian presidency in May.
“I am concerned, Mr. Speaker, that the United States’ critical hit-to-kill
and other valuable critical missile defense technology may become pawns in
a political chess game of appeasement with the Russians,” Brooks said.
Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) said the amendment would bring peace of mind for
those who were still suspicious about the hot-mic exchange.
“This amendment would say, ‘Mr. President, you won’t tell us what your
secret deal is, but that secret deal better not include sharing classified
information of the United States with the Russians about our missile defense
,’” Turner said.
Rep. Bill Young (R-Fla.), who shepherded the defense spending bill through
committee, called the amendment the most critical one to be considered.
“Our national defense interests have got to be our interests, not somebody
else’s,” he said.
Though Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wash.) took the floor briefly to say he was
skeptical that Obama would share classified defense information, the
amendment passed easily on a voice vote.
Other amendments of note included a measure to defund military NASCAR
sponsorship, introduced by Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.), which failed narrowly
, 200-216; and a move by Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) to cut spending on
military music bands by $188 million, which was also rejected, 166-250.
A measure by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) to fully defund Afghan war
operations spurred lively debate, but failed easily, 107-312.
The 2013 Defense Appropriations Act aligns closely with the authorization
bill passed by the House earlier this year. At $608 billion, it adds up to $
3 billion over Obama’s budget request, with $519 billion for domestic
military spending and $88 billion for overseas operations.
The bill includes a 1.7 percent military pay raise and retains Air Force
equipment destined earlier this year for retirement. It also funds other
equipment, such as a Virginia-class submarine, which Young said Pentagon
officials needed but were unable to request this year.
Obama has threatened to veto the bill because it does not conform to
spending levels set under the Budget Control Act. The Senate is unlikely to
address the legislation until after the election as Majority Leader Harry
Reid (D-Nev.) has said he will block any spending bill brought up before
then. | P*********0
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