Dems threaten to block defense bill absent Iran debate

Democratic opposition to moving forward on defense legislation without an Iran debate is rising in the Senate, raising the prospect that Democrats will block the annual, must-pass policy bill absent a compromise that would allow them a vote on a key amendment.

But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Tuesday afternoon they hoped to work out an agreement that would avoid a failed vote on the popular defense bill. In a sign of potential compromise, McConnell moved a vote for Wednesday morning to noon to allow more time to negotiate.

Democrats are "strongly united" on having a vote on whether to bar funds for war with Iran without congressional authorization before moving forward, Schumer said. Still, he did not explicitly say his caucus would vote down the bill if McConnell steamrolls the minority and moves to end debate on the measure on Wednesday.

"There's a strong belief that we need to take a vote on war in Iran. I can't speak for everybody in the caucus but I think there's a lot of sentiment that this is a moment to take a stand," said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.). "There's got to be a way ... it seems pretty pathetic that we're begging for one or two votes."

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) filed an amendment on Monday that could receive a vote alongside the Democrats' Iran amendment, which was written by Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.). Romney's amendment would allow the armed services "to defend themselves, and United States citizens, against attack."

Republicans are weighing whether to hold votes on those two amendments this week, which could provide a possible solution for both parties and allow passage of the bill before the July 4 recess.

Democrats met for two hours on Tuesday afternoon, going back and forth on the merits of blocking a defense policy bill in order to force a debate on war and peace, senators said. Many Democrats went into the meeting undecided, though the Tuesday leadership meeting made clear that more and more Democrats were digging in for battle with McConnell.

“There should be no more unauthorized wars. And this is worth the fight,” said Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), who is the chief deputy whip. He said leaders are “assessing” whether there are 41 votes to block the bill. Moving forward will require 60 senators’ support and the backing of at least seven Democrats.

Schatz said after the lunch he was "optimistic" his argument resonated with his colleagues: "We should block cloture if we’re not given an opportunity to vote on the question of Iran."

Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said the caucus was "going back and forth" on whether it was worth using the Democrats' leverage to stop the National Defense Authorization Act.

But in the middle of the Democratic meeting, McConnell told reporters that while he personally opposed the amendment, "we're not opposed to having the vote" — a potential lifeline for Democrats who do not want to block the defense bill and open themselves up to GOP attacks that they are against giving troops a pay raise.

“I was very heartened by what Leader McConnell said. I think we can work this all out," Schumer said after reading McConnell's remarks to reporters from a phone.

The defense measure is typically one of the few bipartisan bills to pass every year, though sometimes Congress waits until the end of the calendar year. But temporarily blocking it is not unprecedented. A bipartisan coalition stopped it in its tracks in July 2005, in part over demands for a vote on torture policies. Republicans, including McConnell, blocked the 2008 defense bill over efforts to lower gas prices. Both times, it eventually became law by year’s end.

This time, Democrats and a handful of Republicans are frustrated by being boxed out of weighing in on Iran, which shot down an unmanned drone last week. President Donald Trump considered a counterstrike but begged off, then declared on Monday that he doesn’t need Congress’ authority to attack Iran, inflaming Democrats further.

“I do like keeping them abreast, but I don't have to do it, legally,” Trump told The Hill on Monday.

“If the Senate can’t vote on an issue of national security and we’re on a national security bill, then what the hell are we doing here?” retorted Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), who helped write the amendment. “That’s my comment.”

Two Senate Republicans, Mike Lee of Utah and Rand Paul of Kentucky, have also vowed to join Democrats and block the bill without an Iran debate.

In a GOP lunch on Tuesday, Romney criticized the amendment as making it more difficult for the United States to defend itself from attacks, according to three people familiar with the meeting. Supporters say that problem has been fixed in the latest version of the text.

“The Udall amendment would inappropriately restrict the executive branch’s options to respond to a hostile Iranian attack,” Romney said.

Sen. James Lankford also questioned whether the amendment would allow the United States to defend itself if a plane were shot down; Lee responded that no lawyer would read the amendment as restricting the right of U.S. forces to return fire if under attack, two of the people said.

Senate Armed Services Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), meanwhile, said he’s advocated delaying the Iran debate and voting on the amendment as standalone legislation after the Senate passes the defense bill.

“There’s some discussion about the Democrats deciding to go ahead and not do that particular amendment and instead do it as a bill,” Inhofe told POLITICO, adding that he had talked about it with Sen. Jack Reed, his Democratic counterpart.

The Oklahoma Republican predicted the impasse could be broken in time to pass the legislation by the end of the week.

“Once you get close to takeoff time on a [congressional delegation,] that generally encourages people to work a little faster,” Inhofe said.

The Udall amendment appears unlikely to pass even if it does receive a vote. But a vote on Iran would be a difficult one for at-risk Senate Republicans, which McConnell is eager to avoid.

Durbin said Monday he will likely oppose moving forward without a vote on the amendment, the highest-ranking Democrat to make such a decision. Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the assistant Democratic leader, said she hasn’t made up her mind on the procedural vote to end debate but said she feels “really strongly” about getting the Iran vote.

It’s clear Democrats’ preference is to receive a vote on the proposal without having to block the bill, leading to calls by Schumer to delay consideration of the measure. But McConnell dismissed efforts on Tuesday to wait until after this week’s Democratic debates.

"Postpone legislation on our national defense to accommodate the presidential race? In the middle of this ongoing crisis overseas? Come on," McConnell said Tuesday.