White House Backs Down From Its Threat To Veto Defense Bill

The White House backed down from its veto threat of the defense authorization bill Wednesday, saying that the bill’s updated language would not constrain the Obama administration’s counterterrorism efforts.

While the White House acknowledged it still has some concerns, press secretary Jay Carney said President Obama's advisers wouldn’t recommend a veto, a threat that had been hanging over the Pentagon policy bill for the past month.

With the veto threat dropped, the $662 billion defense bill is likely to become law this week. The House passed the bill Wednesday, and the Senate is expected to vote on it Wednesday or Thursday. 

The administration was set on a collision course with Congress this past month over the defense bill, which sets Pentagon policy and is generally considered must-pass legislation. It has passed for 50 years straight.

The White House faced bipartisan opposition in Congress. Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and ranking member John McCain (R-Ariz.) pushed the Senate bill through over the administration’s objections.

Congress could have dealt Obama an embarrassing defeat if he had vetoed the bill, which had widespread support, potentially enough override the president.

The administration and Senate Armed Services Committee leaders had been negotiating for several months on the detainee language and other issues, but the negotiations stalled in November, and Levin and McCain moved forward with the bill over White House objections.

Two days after it passed out of committee last month, the White House issued its veto threat.

Attempts to change the detainee provisions from Senate Democrats, including Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, were mostly unsuccessful. Feinstein had an amendment added at the eleventh hour that stated the bill did not change existing law on the detention of U.S. citizens.

MORE HERE