US Allies Express Concern Over the Delay of Passing Annual Defense Policy Bill Amid Tensions Between China, Taiwan

Allies of the United States voiced alarm to senators this weekend that Congress may shatter a 60-year run by failing to enact an annual military policy bill before the year's conclusion.

Defense Policy Bill Matters for Foreign Allies

In a recently published article in MSN News, foreign legislators have been able to rely on the United States to enact a military policy bill every year for the last six decades. Senators said that failing to do so this year would send a negative message to the rest of the globe, both friends and foes.

Allies of the United States turn to the yearly legislation for guarantees on the direction of US foreign policy. As negotiators hurry to ratify the legislation and iron out issues between the House and Senate versions of the bill by the end of the year, the delays have drastically decreased legislators' margin for error.

Sen. Chris Coons said that they are educating not just Americans but the rest of the globe, whether democracy can address real-world issues. There are also ramifications for the country's security and international prestige if the NDAA and an appropriations bill are not passed this year, according to a published article in POLITICO.

Bipartisan Group of Senators Attended the Halifax International Security Forum

At the Halifax International Security Forum, a bipartisan group of senators vowed that the Senate would pass the bill on time, as it typically does. When asked whether their overseas colleagues were afraid that legislators would not complete by the end of the year, they all said yes.

Sen. Tim Kaine told the reporters, "Don't mess up the one thing that you can count on the Senate to do in a bipartisan way every year. A Senate that cannot do this hardly deserves the title," according to a published article in Good Word News.

Meanwhile, Senator Roger Wicker, who was also present at the annual meeting, said he and other Republicans urged Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to bring the measure to the Senate floor weeks ago. Democrats, too, were getting more vociferous over the postponement.

Cause of the Delay in Passing the Bill

A half-dozen Republican senators - including Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), who was part of the group in Halifax - objected to a list of 19 amendments for senators to consider on Thursday night, claiming that the chamber should also vote on theirs. For example, Risch is pressing to vote on his amendment on Nord Stream 2, the Russia-to-Germany natural gas project that the Biden administration refused to punish despite legislative sanctions.

On Friday, Democratic leaders pushed to halt discussion on the bill, setting a vote date for Nov. 29, when senators return from their Thanksgiving holiday in Washington, D.C. If legislators continue to squabble over the bill, Senate Armed Services Chair Jack Reed stated last week that "we will send a very forceful message to the men and women in the armed services that we don't have your back."

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