华盛顿——周四，肯塔基州共和党人推迟了参议院对一项广泛的国防政策法案的投票兰德·保罗反对这项措施，对下一步的行动投下了怀疑的目光，并提高了一个政府关门如果陷入争议的短期支出法案在周五之前得不到批准。
保罗在参议院表示，他反对国防法案中限制总统的条款唐纳德·特朗普美国从阿富汗撤军的能力阿富汗和德国。他的反对威胁到另一项必须通过的法案，一项为期一周的支出措施，将使政府在12月18日前保持开放。众议院通过了权宜之计，但是政府关门如果参议院在周五午夜之前不采取行动的话。
保罗表示，如果共和党领导人允许在周一对《国防授权法案》进行最终投票，他将放弃反对意见。两党参议员都渴望在本周完成该法案的工作。
南达科他州参议员约翰·图恩(John Thune)是参议院共和党第二号人物，他说，他认为保罗——他以前曾引发政府关门——正在利用时间紧迫的优势，最大限度地取消撤军规定。
“我认为他只是想找出让法案脱轨的方法。当你在美国参议院时，那是你的特权。但是我们大多数人都想在本周完成这项工作。
图恩在谈到他的共和党同僚保罗时说:“他的事情就是推迟这件事，并利用所有的时间，以便将(国防法案)的投票推迟到下周，这将把对特朗普可能的否决的否决投票推迟到下周。”
预计周五将对国防法案进行程序性投票，为当天晚些时候对国防法案和临时支出措施进行最终投票奠定基础。
保罗说，他担心关于部队部署的措施“在国会产生了535名总司令”，并妨碍了总统以他认为合适的方式部署部队的能力。保罗说，民主党人支持这项措施，因为他们反对特朗普，但修正案也适用于未来的总统，包括当选总统乔·拜登。
由共和党众议员利兹·切尼(Liz Cheney)和科罗拉多州众议员杰森·克罗(Jason Crow)共同提出的一项修正案将阻止从阿富汗撤军，除非五角大楼提交机构间报告，证明撤军不会危及国家安全。犹他州共和党参议员米特·罗姆尼(Mitt Romney)和其他议员推动的一项单独条款将限制德国的撤军计划。
保罗在一次发言中点名提到了切尼，说她和她的父亲，前副总统迪克·切尼，都有一个新保守主义的信念，那就是“永远的战争”。''
“这些人的哲学是关于战争和证实战争，并确保它成为并永远是战争，”保罗说。
切尼在推特上回击，指责保罗“目前阻碍#NDAA号的通过，指责美国，并推迟向成千上万的美国军人及其家人支付危险税。不可原谅。''
她补充道:“不过，兰德和我有一个共同点。我们都有5英尺2英寸高。''
此前，参议院多数党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔(Mitch McConnell)罕见地与特朗普决裂，敦促通过该法案，尽管特朗普威胁要否决该法案。
麦康奈尔，R-Ky。他周四表示，国会继续近60年来通过《国防授权法案》的势头很重要，该法案确认美国军队加薪3%，并批准数十亿美元的军事项目和建设。
“这个NDAA将释放7400多亿美元用于训练、工具和尖端设备，我们的服务人员和文职雇员需要这些来捍卫美国人的生命和美国人的利益，”麦康奈尔在预计周四或周五投票前的参议院演讲中说这将给我们的部队加薪3%，这是他们应得的。这将使我们的军队做好威慑中国的准备，并在印度-太平洋地区保持强大。''
民主党控制的众议院周二以压倒性多数批准了国防法案，无视特朗普的否决威胁，并可能在特朗普政府任期的最后几天与共和党总统摊牌。
共有140名共和党人和195名民主党人支持该法案，该法案获得了众议院80%以上的支持，远远超过了推翻潜在否决所需的三分之二的支持。
特朗普誓言否决该法案，除非立法者取缔他声称在选举期间对他有偏见的社交媒体公司。特朗普还希望国会取消该法案中允许重命名军事基地的一项条款，这些军事基地现在以邦联领导人为荣。
麦康奈尔没有谈到特朗普的否决威胁，但表示该法案“将确保特朗普总统在现代化我们的能力、技术和战略核威慑方面取得重大进展”。''
该法案“并没有包含双方都希望通过的所有政策。麦康奈尔说:“但其中包含了大量关键政策，许多坏主意被排除在外。”。
特朗普周二在推特上表示，他将否决“非常脆弱”的国防法案，除非该法案废除第230节，该节是保护Twitter、Facebook和其他科技巨头免受内容责任的通信代码的一部分。
围绕社交媒体内容的争议——保守派的战斗口号，他们说社交媒体巨头不公平地对待他们——将一个不相关但复杂的问题插入到一项法案中，国会为近60年来始终不渝地通过该法案感到自豪。此前，特朗普在夏季试图通过否决邦联基地名称的威胁来破坏该计划。
资深众议院议员表示，如果他真的否决了国防法案，国会可能会缩短圣诞节休会时间，以举行推翻投票。
“我认为我们可以推翻否决，如果事实上他否决了，”众议院多数党领袖斯泰尼·霍耶，医学博士，周二说。“我希望他不要否决。希望他重新考虑。我认为他会受到(来自共和党人的)巨大压力，你知道，你不想让国防法案面临风险。″
国防措施指导五角大楼的政策，巩固关于部队水平、新武器系统和军事准备、军事人员政策和其他军事目标的决定。许多项目只有在法案通过后才能生效，包括军事建设。
Sen. Rand Paul delays defense bill vote over troop drawdowns
WASHINGTON -- A Senate vote on a wide-ranging defense policy bill was delayed Thursday after Kentucky RepublicanRand Paulobjected to the measure, casting the next steps in doubt and raising the slim prospect of agovernment shutdownif a short-term spending bill caught up in the dispute is not approved by Friday.
Paul said on the Senate floor that he opposes provisions in the defense bill that would limit PresidentDonald Trump's ability to draw down U.S. troops fromAfghanistanand Germany. His objections threatened another must-pass bill, a one-week spending measure that would keep the government open through Dec. 18. The House has passed the stopgap measure, but agovernment shutdownwould occur if the Senate does not act on it by midnight Friday.
Paul said he would drop his objection if GOP leaders allowed a final vote on the National Defense Authorization Act on Monday. Senators from both parties were eager to finish work on the bill this week.
South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the No. 2 Senate Republican, said he thought Paul — who has provoked government shutdowns before — was using the time-crunch for maximum leverage to remove the provision on troop withdrawals.
“I think he’s just trying to figure out ways to derail the bill. And … when you’re in the U.S Senate that’s your prerogative. But most of our people would like to get it done" this week, Thune said.
“His thing is just to delay this and use all the time so it pushes the vote on (the defense bill) into next week, which pushes the override vote” on a possible Trump veto into the following week, Thune said of his fellow Republican, Paul.
A procedural vote on the defense bill was expected Friday, setting the stage for final votes on the defense bill and the stopgap spending measure later in the day.
Paul said he is concerned that the measure on troop deployment “creates 535 commanders-in-chief in Congress” and hampers the president's ability to deploy troops as he sees fit. Democrats support the measure because they oppose Trump, Paul said, but the amendment would also apply to future presidents, including President-elect Joe Biden.
One amendment, co-sponsored by Reps. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., and Jason Crow, D-Colo., would block troop withdrawals in Afghanistan unless the Pentagon submits inter-agency reports certifying that the drawdowns would not jeopardize national security. A separate provision pushed by Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney and other lawmakers would limit planned troop withdrawals in Germany.
Paul singled out Cheney by name in a floor speech, saying she and her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, share a neoconservative belief in “perpetual war.''
“The philosophy of these people is about war and substantiating war and making sure that it becomes and is perpetual war,'' Paul said.
Cheney hit back on Twitter, charging that Paul was "currently holding up passage of the #NDAA, blaming America, and delaying hazardous duty pay to hundreds of thousands of our service members and their families. Inexcusable.''
She added: "Rand and I do have one thing in common, though. We’re both 5’2” tall.''
The dispute over the defense bill came after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, in a rare break with Trump, urged passage of the measure despite Trump's threat to veto it.
McConnell, R-Ky., said Thursday that it was important for Congress to continue a nearly 60-year streak of passing the National Defense Authorization Act, which affirms 3% pay raises for U.S. troops and authorizes billions in military programs and construction.
“This NDAA will unlock more than $740 billion for the training, tools and cutting-edge equipment that our service members and civilian employees need to defend American lives and American interests,'' McConnell said in a Senate speech ahead of an expected vote Thursday or Friday. ”It will give our troops the 3% pay raise they deserve. It’ll keep our forces ready to deter China and stand strong in the Indo-Pacific.''
The Democratic-controlled House overwhelmingly approved the defense bill on Tuesday, defying Trump’s veto threat and setting up a possible showdown with the Republican president in the waning days of his administration.
A total of 140 Republicans joined 195 Democrats in backing the bill, which received support from more than 80% of the House — well above the two-thirds support required to override a potential veto.
Trump has vowed to veto the bill unless lawmakers clamp down on social media companies he claims were biased against him during the election. Trump also wants Congress to strip out a provision of the bill that allows renaming of military bases that now honor Confederate leaders.
McConnell did not address Trump’s veto threat, but said the bill “will secure President Trump’s major progress at modernizing our capabilities, our technologies and our strategic nuclear deterrent.''
The bill "does not contain every policy that either side would like to pass. But a huge number of crucial policies are included and a lot of bad ideas were kept out,'' McConnell said.
Trump tweeted Tuesday that he will veto “the very weak" defense bill unless it repeals Section 230, a part of the communications code that shields Twitter, Facebook and other tech giants from content liability.
The dispute over social media content — a battle cry of conservatives who say the social media giants treat them unfairly — interjects an unrelated but complicated issue into a bill that Congress takes pride in having passed unfailingly for nearly 60 years. It follows Trump’s bid over the summer to sabotage the package with a veto threat over Confederate base names.
If he does veto the defense bill, Congress could cut short its Christmas recess to hold override votes, senior House members said.
“I think we can override the veto, if in fact he vetoes," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said Tuesday. “I hope he does not veto. I hope he reconsiders. And I think he will get substantial pressure (from Republicans) that, you know, you don’t want to put the defense bill at risk.″
The defense measure guides Pentagon policy and cements decisions about troop levels, new weapons systems and military readiness, military personnel policy and other military goals. Many programs can only go into effect if the bill is approved, including military construction.
