Military Budget 2016: Senate Passes Revised National Defense Authorization Act

The U.S. Senate passed a revised version of the National Defense Authorization Act Tuesday, according to CNBC. The act has restrictions on closing Guantanamo Bay, the controversial U.S. prison facility in Cuba.

The revised $607 billion legislation was approved 91-3, according to the Hill. The legislation made it through the House of Representatives easily last week with a 370-58 vote.

The legislation would not allow for Guantanamo detainees to be moved to the United States for at least a year, according to the Hill. The Guantanamo prison restriction hurts President Barack Obama’s plan to close the facility, which would likely necessitate moving dozens of detainees to the United States. The restrictions would also hold back detainees being transferred to Libya, Somalia, Syria or Yemen.

The next step for the legislation will be for it to go to Obama, who vetoed the original $612 billion version because of extra war funding in the 2016 Department of Defense budget. Some of the cuts to the new version include $250 million to Obama’s counterterrorism fund, $250 million to Army readiness and a little more than a billion in fuel savings.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has said he believes Obama will sign the new version of the legislation. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., also said to reporters he thinks Obama wouldn’t veto the bill a second time.

"I'm proud of this legislation. Could we have done more? Yes...But I would argue that this is the most significant reform legislation in the last 30 years," McCain said according to the Hill.

Besides the Guantanamo provisions, the defense bill — passed every year — also established a retirement benefit for all service members similar to a 401(k), according to Politico. It also allows for some lethal assistance to Ukraine and strips some authority from the Pentagon for acquiring new weapons.