The Senate on Friday ended debate on the 2017 defense authorization bill after the amendment process ground to a halt.
Although hundreds of amendments were filed, a series of objections kept all but a few from a vote. A final vote on the bill is expected on Monday.
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) urged Democrats to vote against cloture, hoping to give lawmakers more time to work to get a few more amendments passed. The process had left members—including Democrats like Sens. Kirsten Gilibrand of New York and Patty Murray of Washington, who pressed for consideration of their amendments on Friday morning—without the opportunity to see a vote on their work.
“Gee wiz, we’ve had a handful of amendments,” Reid said. “We’ve been, I think, very outgoing and doing what we can to make sure these managers packages are approved. But it’s really been unfair, the whole process here.”
Despite Reid’s attempts to delay the end of debate, the cloture motion passed in a 68-23 vote with the support of 17 Democrats. Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Mike Lee of Utah and Rand Paul of Kentucky were the only Republicans to vote against advancing the bill.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) expressed frustration that more amendments could not come to the floor based on the objections of one member, Lee, who had blocked a number of amendments on Thursday.
“Unfortunately we have objection to all amendments, and that in my view is a great disservice to this body, to the men and women serving in the military, and to the American public,” McCain said. “Whether or not I agree or disagree with Senator Gillibrand and Senator Murray, they deserve debate and votes, and they’re not getting it because of objections.”
After the vote, McCain said he was not responsible for blocking an amendment that would take language out of the bill requiring women to register for the draft.
“I did not block any amendment concerning women being eligible for the selective service, and I want the record to be clear,” he said.
The Senate’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act hews to a $602 billion discretionary spending topline that abides by last year’s budget deal. Once the NDAA is passed by the Senate, McCain and his counterpart in the House, Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), will have to settle their bills differences in conference.
The House’s NDAA takes a different funding approach than the Senates. While the lower chamber also technically stuck to the Bipartisan Budget Agreement, it designated $18 billion of wartime spending for base expenses, which would leave the account empty by April 2017. House lawmakers hope that will force the next president to authorize additional defense funding.
President Barack Obama has threatened to veto both versions of the NDAA.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has said he plans to move to the defense spending bill once the authorization act is cleared.