The defense measure also would once again reject the Pentagon’s request for another round of base closings and realignments. DoD has asked for such authority repeatedly in recent years—the latest proposal was for a new round in 2017—but Congress has refused, citing the disruption and disappointing savings of prior rounds, which caused the loss or relocation of many thousands of civilian federal employee jobs. A separate appropriations bill (HR-2029) now pending a House vote would, however, require a detailed report of underused DoD facilities; that could help lay the groundwork for a more favorable view of closings in the future. The Senate, which traditionally has been somewhat more open to the idea of another round than the House, has not started drafting its own version of either bill. The House DoD authorization measure also contains routine extensions of long-running special personnel authorities that apply in only limited situations, such as for working in a combat zone.