The House version of the 2014 defense-spending bill would impose cuts that could throw thousands out of work and threaten the viability of the nation’s middle class, the White House said in a July 22 policy statement. President Obama likely would veto anything resembling the bill, H.R. 2397, according to the statement, which was prepared by the White House Office of Management and Budget. Among the key unresolved issues:
* The call to limit the White House’s use of funds to transfer detainees, including those held under suspicion of terrorist activities at Guantanamo Bay Naval Station, Cuba;
* Authorization of additional funds for Overseas Contingency Operations, including the mission in Afghanistan, beyond what the administration initially requested;
* Failure to call for a new round Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC);
* Refusal to support administration requests for increases in health-care coverage under TRICARE, the military’s managed-care provider;
* Inclusion of billions of additional dollars to fund programs the administration does not support, such as the light utility helicopter, high-mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles for the National Guard, and modernization of seven Navy cruisers and amphibious ships;
* Inclusion of $47 million to fund a modernization program for C-130 transport aircraft that the administration believes is too expensive and unnecessary;
* The plan to cut $115 million from the amount the administration is requesting to fund advanced innovative technologies.