Unrelated elements in Defense bill
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BILL RADKE: A Pentagon spending bill is in the Senate this week
and it’s become a magnet for all sorts of causes
that you may not associate with defending the homeland.
Marketplace’s John Dimsdale has that from Washington.
JOHN DIMSDALE: Senate leaders will try to jump on board with amendments to repeal the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy and to allow young illegal immigrants who go to college or join the military, to become citizens. What does that have to do with defense programs?
Former Army Secretary Louis Caldera says it will create new recruits for military service.
LOUIS CALDERA: They are immigrant children who are very patriotic and want to serve and yet they have this obstacle.
Another group of Senators could try to ban Clean Air Act spending by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Todd Harrison at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment isn’t surprised by the extraneous amendments.
TODD HARRISON: Because everyone knows that if you want to get something passed, this is a good vehicle to do it.
This year’s fight over the amendments will likely delay the bill’s passage until after the election.
In Washington, I’m John Dimsdale for Marketplace.
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