Feb. 16 update - Defense/Nuclear/Foreign Policy Amendments to Continuing Resolution in the House
Feb 16, 2011
The House voted down five national security-related amendments yesterday, four by recorded vote, and debated three more amendments that will be voted upon at some point today.
The House completed action at 1:13 AM (no, I was not watching) and resumes session at 10 AM today with debate on the Continuing Resolution to begin at Noon.
There are now a total of 583 amendments submitted. However, yesterday the debate on amendments proceeded to p.263 of the bill, meaning that the Pentagon and Department of Energy sections have been completed (amendments before that point are no longer eligible to be offered). A number of amendments were submitted yesterday that appear to be ineligible for consideration because they refer to pages of the bill already passed.
Defense/Nuclear/Foreign Policy Amendments to Continuing Resolution in the House
Feb 15, 2011
Something for spending and policy wonks: first list of national security amendments to Continuing Resolution on the House floor between February 15-17, 2011.
There are amendments on such diverse topics as defense, Iraq and Afghanistan wars, United Nations, Russia, missile defense, Yucca Mountain, weapons programs and military bands.
The list follows:
Offered By: Mr. Cravaack (cuts all funds for U.S. Institute for Peace)
AMENDMENT NO. 1: Page 321, line 7, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced by $42,676,000)''.
Page 359, line 20, after the dollar amount, insert ``(increased by $42,676,000)''.
Offered By: Mr. Rooney (Cutting second F-35 engine amendment)
AMENDMENT NO. 2: Page 33, line 16, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced by $225,000,000)''.
Page 34, line 6, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced by $225,000,000)''.
Page 359, line 6, after the dollar amount
New START Debate (Day 8, the final day – December 22)
Dec 22, 2010
Presidents Obama and Medvedev sign New START agreement
By John Isaacs and Kingston Reif
After a battle that lasted many months, the Senate voted 71-26 to give its advice and consent to the New START Resolution of Ratification.
The effort to win the Senate’s two-thirds majority was like riding a roller coaster, with optimism followed by pessimism followed by optimism and back and forth.
Ultimately, the vote was a remarkably bipartisan victory in an intensely hyper-partisan atmosphere. It is a victory for the consensus of former national security officials of both parties and both active duty and retired military.
It is certainly a victory for the Obama Administration that won three major bipartisan measures in the waning days of Congress: the tax cut bill, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and New START.
By approving New START, the United States has sent a strong signal to the world that it can be counted on to be a reliable partner and leader in promoting nuclear stability. The treaty will also help buttress cooperative efforts with Russia and others to secure and safeguard nuclear material stockpiles and warheads and maintain and strengthen support for tougher measures against rogue states such as North Korea and Iran.
Before the final vote, the Senate adopted a Kyl amendment by voice vote, worked out with Senator Kerry (D-MA) and the Administration, to accelerate funding for modernization of the nuclear weapons complex.
The Senate also adopted by voice vote a McCain (R-AZ), Lieberman (I-CT), Corker (R-TN) amendment to make it clear that the United States does not accept the Russian interpretation of the missile defense language in the treaty and an understanding that the preamble to the treaty is not binding (stating the obvious and restating Obama Administration position).
Ratification of the treaty is only the beginning. The U.S. and Russia should take advantage of the momentum created by the approval of New START to pursue negotiations on reductions in all types of nuclear warheads, including non-deployed and non-strategic warheads, in a timely manner.
Lots of credit goes to Senators Kerry and Lugar (R-IN), who managed the treaty, other Senators who have been active for the treaty such as Casey (D-PA), Shaheen (D-NH), Cardin (D-MD), Franken (D-MN) and others, the Obama Administration who put together a terrific campaign (and I will not name everyone because there are too many to name) and a terrific effort by the arms control community.
It is now time for everyone to scatter for their well-deserved holiday vacations.
Healthy Start for New START
Dec 15, 2010
At long last, the Senate took up the New START Treaty, and the first day went very well.
Before the vote, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) and the White House all expressed confidence that the two-thirds vote required to approve the treaty was in hand.
In the initial test, they proved accurate.
The vote on the motion to bring up the treaty was 66 - 32. Although it is a common misconception that 67 Senate votes are needed to approve the treaty, the correct number is actually two-thirds of the Senators present and voting. That milestone was achieved today.
One of the absentees for the vote was Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN), who would be the 67th vote.
Nine Republicans voting yes: Bennett (Utah), Brown (MA), Collins (ME), Graham (SC), Lugar (IN), McCain (AZ), Murkowski (AK), Snowe (ME) and Voinovich OH).
The Perils of Pauline that is New START
Dec 11, 2010
A colleague warned that the fate of New START would be riding a roller coaster in the post-election session, and was she ever correct.
On November 16, the treaty appeared fatally wounded when Key Arizona Senator Jon Kyl ruled out Senate consideration of New START during the lame duck session. His negotiations with the Administration and Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry were still and forever on-going.
That switched in subsequent weeks, when a number of Republican Senators agreed that a deal was close at hand to bring the treaty up before the end of the year.
However, on December 1, all 42 Republican Senators signed a letter saying that no legislation could be considered until the Senate completed action on the tax bill and the appropriations bill. With those two measures still very much in flux and with the Senate slated to adjourn on December 17, that schedule apparently could not accommodate New START.
33 national organizations and individuals urge Senate stay in session until New START approved
Dec 10, 2010
33 national organizations and individuals have written to the top three Democratic leaders -- Senators Harry Reid (D-NV), Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Charles Schumer (D-NY -- urging them to keep the Senate in session until the Senate votes on the New START nuclear reductions treaty.
At present, the Senate is slated to adjourn for the year on December 17, 2010, almost surely not leaving enough time to complete work on the treaty.
The letter noted:
Failure to act on the New START treaty this year would undermine the country’s national security interests, as both our military leadership and numerous former Republican officials have noted.
The letter concluded:
We urge you to take up and approve New START now, if need be by extending the Senate in session beyond December 17.
A complete copy of the letter is below,
Working Group asks Congress to fully fund non proliferation programs
Dec 06, 2010
Earlier this year, both relevant House and Senate subcommittees decided to fully fund Non proliferation programs despite the current economic climate and competing funding demands.
However, the first Continuing Resolution passed at the end of September to fund the government through December 3 funded most government programs at FY 2010 levels, including programs to secure and safeguard nuclear weapons and materials.
In response, the Fissile Materials Working Group (FMWG) put together a letter to members urging them to fully fun these crucial programs at FY-2011 levels. You can find the text to the letter below.
22 GOP Senators say whoa on New START
Dec 06, 2010
Senators John Ensign (R-NV), Jim DeMint (R-SC) and 20 colleagues sent a letter to Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on December 2 to say not so fast on New START (8 months is too fast?).
The Senators said: “We have numerous amendments requiring significant debate to the treaty as well as the resolution of ratification that we would like to offer and have votes on. It would be unwise and improper to do this in a hurried fashion over the course of only a few days.”
The letter serves as a signal that these 22 Senators are most likely to vote no when the Senate takes up the treaty. See list below.
Also noteworthy are the dogs that did not bark (fans of Sherlock Holmes?).
Prospects for New START by end of 2010 improve
Nov 30, 2010
New START just might win approval in the Senate by the end of the year.
Should that happen, mark November 30, 2010 as the key turning point.
But don't count on it just yet.
A number of Republican Senators said good things about New START today, following weeks of criticisms from the same bunch.
Starting from the top: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
Says McConnell: "I think the view - the unanimous view of Senate Republicans is let's take care of the tax issue; let's take care of how we're going to fund the government for the next 10 months; and then if there's time left for other matters, it will be up to the majority leader, Senator Reid, to decide whether we turn to other things before we adjourn for the year."
NATO summit ahead: Nov. 19-20
Oct 29, 2010
United States Ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder made a presentation today about the upcoming NATO summit on November 19-20 at Lisbon, Portugal.
He pointed to three separate meetings in less than 24 hours:
- A NATO summit of the 28 member countries
- A meeting to focus on Afghanistan
- A meeting of NATO with Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev
The first meeting will adopt a new strategic concept that will call for collective defense and cooperative security.
