Early Thursday morning, by a vote of 56-5, the House Armed Services Committee passed the FY 2013 National Defense Authorization bill. The act proposes $554 billion for Defense and national security programs and $88 billion for overseas contingency operations.
Included in the 500-plus page bill are amendments that civil liberties advocates believe could affect detainee provisions and reproductive rights. Other measures would remodel the Defense Department’s service contracting and personnel reporting methods.
The markup, which began at 10am ET Wednesday ended around 2:20am ET Thursday morning.
The act would provide $554 billion of the defense’s base budget. The budget's final figures are $29 million more than President Obama's budget proposed.
The 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) authorizes spending and sets policy for the Department of Defense for the next fiscal year.