The head of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) said Tuesday he is optimistic his panel’s version of the next defense authorization bill will receive bipartisan support, and predicts differences with the Senate on several key provisions, such as a new Indo-Pacific initiative, can be reconciled when the bill heads to conference. Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) told reporters HASC’s markup hearing for the FY ‘21 National Defense Authorization Act will likely be less contentious than last year without having to…
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