This year's debate over defense spending threatens to disrupt a tradition of bipartisan consensus-building over funding the military
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Thursday, July 20, 2023
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Each year for the past six decades, congressional representatives from both sides of the aisle have come together to pass the National Defense Authorization Act.
Key Points:
- Each year for the past six decades, congressional representatives from both sides of the aisle have come together to pass the National Defense Authorization Act.
- Because the bill involves the military – a traditionally popular institution – it has historically received bipartisan support.
- Reflecting the current polarized politics of the U.S., the bill stands virtually no chance of passing in the Democratic-controlled Senate without major modifications.
A look at the National Defense Authorization Act and what’s happening in 2023
- The first and current step, the National Defense Authorization Act, sets defense policies and provides guidance on how money can be spent.
- Congressional Republicans have grown more conservative, congressional Democrats have become more liberal, and members of the two parties agree on less and less.
- In the first year of the Biden administration, the House approved the National Defense Authorization Act by a 316-113 margin.
- At the same time, these types of amendments decreased the odds that the bill would receive bipartisan support.
Previous defense spending bills have addressed social policy, too
- This is not the first version of the defense authorization bill that included language about social issues.
- The measure stemmed from President Bill Clinton’s campaign pledge to lift the ban on gay people serving in the military.
- Another example of social policy’s being embedded in the National Defense Authorization Act occurred in 2009, when Senate Democrats attached the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr.
- More recently, the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act included a provision to remove Confederate names, symbols and monuments from Department of Defense property.
What each party stands to gain or lose from this fight
- At the same time, these tactics may make it easier for Democrats to win in crucial swing districts during the 2024 election cycle.
- It’s an important sign that there’s no longer an issue that’s immune from the hyperpolarization that defines today’s American politics.