Senate votes not to move forward with NDAA

WASHINGTON, Nov 29, Reuters - The U.S. Senate voted to not move ahead with the National Defense Authorization Act, despite opposition from Republicans and some of the chamber's most liberal Democrats, but lawmakers will keep working on the massive annual defense policy bill, which has become law for 60 straight years.

The measure could not get the 60 yes votes needed to advance it to passage in the 100-member Senate, because of the 45-51 vote.

The NDAA is closely watched by industry and other interests, as it determines everything from how many ships are bought to soldiers' pay to how to address geopolitical threats.

The military budget should not be so large because of the country not adequately addressing issues such as healthcare, education and climate change, as a result of the legislation that authorizes $770 billion in Pentagon spending this year, which is one of the reasons some Democrats objected to.

Since 1961, the NDAA has become law, and lawmakers say it shows their support for the military. It is one of the few major bills to become law annually, and it is used as a vehicle for legislation on issues from China to cyber policy.

The Republicans voted to block the legislation because Democrats, who thinly control the Senate, did not allow enough votes on amendments, including one that would have imposed mandatory sanctions on Nord Stream 2, a Russian-backed natural gas pipeline that opponents believe would be harmful to U.S. allies in Europe.