109-148 , on December 30, 2005, and he signed the FY2006 defense authorization into law, P.L. On December 19, the House approved the appropriations conference agreement by a vote of 308-106 and the authorization conference agreement by a vote of 371-41. On December 21, the Senate approved the conference agreement on the defense authorization bill, and it approved the appropriations conference agreement by 93-0, though only after removing from the bill a provision to allow oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The House approved the enrolling resolution on December 22, clearing the bill for the President. The appropriations bill not only provides funding for the Department of Defense, but it is also a vehicle for other measures, including reallocation of $29 billion in Hurricane Katrina recovery funds, emergency funding of $3.8 billion for avian flu preparedness, and an across-the-board spending cut of $8.5 billion. Cuts in defense spending in the defense appropriations bill: The House-passed defense appropriations bill trimmed $3 billion from the Administration request, and the defense appropriations bill as passed by the Senate trimmed $7 billion, leaving those amounts available for non-defense appropriations. In a measure attached to the defense appropriations bill, Congress also approved an across-the-board cut in all appropriations, which trims an additional $4.1 billion from Department of Defense funds. The conference agreements on the authorization and appropriations bills both include, without change, the McCain amendments requiring DOD adherence to the Army field manual on interrogations and prohibiting cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment of detainees. The conference agreements also include an amended version of the Graham-Levin amendment establishing procedures for tribunals. The conference provision removes a Senate reference to a "schedule" for achieving specified measures of progress in Iraq and substitutes a requirement for a "plan." The authorization conference report provides an increase of 10,000 in Army and 1,000 in Marine Corps end-strength in FY2006. On July 21, the Senate approved a Graham-Clinton amendment to the authorization bill to allow all non-deployed reservists to enroll in TRICARE. The President signed the defense appropriations bill into law on December 30, and he signed the defense authorization into law on January 6. A number of other issues were also on the agenda in Congress this year, including,
Whether Congress should, while not directly setting a date for withdrawing from Iraq, require the Administration to establish a strategy and measures of progress that will lead to withdrawal; Whether the appropriations committees should trim defense funding in order to limit cuts in non-defense discretionary programs; Whether Congress should provide additional military personnel benefits, including (1) greater access to DOD-provided health insurance for non-deployed military reservists and their dependents and (2) permanently increased death gratuities and insurance; Whether Congress should require a substantial increase in active duty end-strength, particularly in the Army, to ease pressures on the force caused by operations abroad; Whether Congress should increase funding for navy shipbuilding or should approve advance appropriations or other novel funding mechanisms; Whether Congress should accept or reject Administration plans to retire an aircraft carrier and reduce the number of deployable carriers from 12 to 11; Whether Congress should approve the proposed termination of C-130J cargo aircraft procurement (a proposal the Administration subsequently withdrew); Whether Congress should approve the proposed termination, after FY2008, of F/A-22 fighter procurement; How Congress should exercise oversight over a number of major weapons programs in which cost have grown or development has been delayed, including the Army Future Combat System, missile defense, the multi-service F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and a number of space-launch and satellite systems; Whether Congress should restructure priorities in the Administration's missile defense development program; How Congress should oversee and finance Army plans for a far-reaching reorganization of its combat forces to increase the number of deployable combat brigades and to turn brigades, rather than divisions, into the major unit of action in future operations; Whether Congress should take steps to regulate the Defense Department's restructuring its civilian personnel system following Congress's approval, in the FY2004 National Defense Authorization Act, of the Pentagon's request for broad authority to reform civil service pay and performance rules; Whether Congress should approve the Defense Department's request for changes in environmental laws and regulations governing military training in addition to changes Congress approved in the FY2004 defense authorization; Whether Congress should approve Department of Energy plans to study new nuclear weapons, including the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator, and whether Congress should establish guidelines for the Reliable Replacement Warhead program; Whether Congress should require changes in DOD policies affecting a number of "social issues," including the deployment of women in combat support units, abortions at military facilities abroad, and handling of sexual abuse cases; Whether Congress should take any action to restrict military base closures, even as the a formal base closure process was proceeding; and Whether Congress should take any action on a number of other issues, including treatment of military detainees, acquisition of tanker aircraft, and strengthening of defense "Buy American" requirements. The appropriations conference agreement provides $50 billion. P.L. The conference agreement included the Senate measure. The authorization conference agreement includes a provision prohibiting acquisition of the DD(X) through a single shipyard. The conference agreement on the energy and water bill eliminates RNEP funding. Defense Authorization

H.R. 109-163 ), January 6, 2006. Defense Appropriations

H.R.
The House approved conference agreements on the FY2006 defense appropriations (H.R. 2863) and defense authorization (H.R. 1815) bills on December 19, 2005. The Senate approved both measures on December 21, though only after removing from the appropriations bill a provision to allow oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. On December 22, the House approved an enrolling resolution that removed the ANWR provision, clearing the measure for the President. The appropriations bill is also a vehicle for other measures, including reallocation of $29 billion in Hurricane Katrina recovery funds, emergency funding of $3.8 billion for avian flu preparedness, and an across-the-board spending cut of $8.5 billion. The President signed the defense appropriations bill into law on December 30, 2005, P.L. 109-148, and he signed the authorization on January 6, 2006, P.L. 109-163. Key issues resolved by the conference agreements on the defense bills include:
Amount of defense appropriations: The Senate cut $7 billion from the Administration request, and the House trimmed $3 billion. The conference agreement cuts $4.4 billion, and the across-the-board cut trims an additional $4.1 billion from DOD. Prisoner abuse: The authorization and appropriations conference agreements include Senate provisions regulating DOD interrogation of detainees and prohibiting cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. Tribunals for prisoners: The authorization and appropriations conference agreements include amended Senate language that establishes military tribunals to review the status of detainees and that permits limited appeals of findings to federal courts. Exit strategy in Iraq: The House rejected amendments to the authorization and appropriations bills to establish an exit strategy. The Senate approved a measure that requires quarterly reports on conditions for withdrawal and a schedule for achieving such conditions but does not set a timetable. The authorization conference includes an amended version of the Senate measure. Women in combat: The conference agreement requires 30 days notice to Congress of changes in current regulations. Additional Iraq funding: The appropriations conference agreement provides $50 billion. Army and Marine end-strength: The authorization conference adds 10,000 to Army and 1,000 to Marine end-strength in FY2006. Navy shipbuilding: The House authorization and appropriations bills restructured Navy shipbuilding dramatically and terminated the DD(X) destroyer. The conference agreements do not terminate the DD(X) and require that it be produced at two shipyards. Reserve health insurance: The Senate authorization allowed all reservists to enroll in the TRICARE health insurance program. The conference agreement limits it to those without private insurance. New nuclear weapons: The conference agreement on the Energy and Water appropriations bill eliminates Department of Energy funds for the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator.