Obama gave a long list of objections to the versions of the bill passed by the Senate and House of Representatives, including provisions making it more hard to close the detention center at the Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba and the use of funds specially designated for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to allow the military to avoid mandatory spending limits.
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While the amendment was approved by a voice vote, NDAA- 2017 was passed by an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 85-13.
Now that the Pentagon permits women to hold any position in the military, including on the front lines of war, Congress has taken up the debate over whether they should also be required to register for the draft. According to Republicans, the staff has been micromanaging military operations even though they are supposed to only coordinate policy and advise the president.
“In conference, I will be supporting the stronger House language on [Guantanamo Bay, Cuba] and working to remove unnecessary Senate language requiring women to register for the draft”, Inhofe pledged.
The Senate has passed a defense bill that includes an amendment to allow women to register for the draft when they turn 18.
Under the Senate bill, women who are turning 18 years old on or after January 1, 2018, will be forced to register for Selective Service, just like men.
The Pentagon in 2013 ended restrictions on female service members participating in combat roles. The White House criticized the Senate for misusing the State Department’s travel-warning system, saying the government warning travelers about going to a country does not represent that country’s ability to accept detainees. His amendment would also remove the Selective Service in three years unless there are very good reasons to preserve the draft.
It remains to be seen whether or not the White House will veto this bill.
But after pushing his bill in the press, Lee declined to forward the amendment on the Senate floor.
Sen. John McCain – who is the chairman of the Armed Services Committee – disagreed with Cruz’s statements and said including women was “simply fair” noting the military’s open policy toward women.
Under current law, the federal government has the power to indefinitely detain US citizens and lawful permanent residents who are apprehended on American soil.
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Cruz never served in the military while McCain was a naval aviator and prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. However, most of the arguments made on that issue deal directly with whether women can handle combat duties as well as men, and how women in combat might impact unit readiness and performance.
