Congress to Address the NDAA during the Lame Duck Session

Legislative Activity

National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)

The NDAA is considered a must-pass annual bill. While the House passed its measure (H.R. 4435) in May, the Senate is behind on considering its respective bill (S. 2410). Therefore, the House and Senate Armed Services Committees started pre-conference meetings last week to try and reach agreement on a final Fiscal Year 2015 NDAA bill that will be taken up by Congress in the “lame duck” session; which commences after the November 4 midterm elections.

Last week, Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin (D-Michigan) said that the NDAA could be a “logical place” for the authorization for military force (AUMF) against ISIL. However, House Armed Services Committee Republicans  said they would resist any such efforts to attach the AUMF to the NDAA bill.