No Go on Defense Authorization Bill

No Go on Defense Authorization Bill

Senate Democrats failed to get the required 60 votes to bring the FY2011 defense authorization bill (S. 3454) to the floor for debate. This afternoon’s vote was 56-43.

Two Democrats (Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor, both of Arkansas) voted no, and no Republican voted yes. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) voted no as a procedural move to allow the vote to be reconsidered later. The bill was already controversial because it could lead to the repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy for gays in the military, and Senator Reid also wants to add the DREAM immigration reform act to it.

Conventional wisdom is that the bill therefore will not be debated until after the November elections, but with Congress, one never knows!

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