November 20, 2021

HALIFAX, Canada — U.S. allies expressed concerns to senators this weekend that Congress could break a 60-year streak and fail to pass an annual defense policy bill before the end of the year, a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers said on Saturday.

The extraordinary dynamic comes as the Senate is at a standstill on the legislation. Several Republicans have delayed the process as they push for votes on their amendments to the bill, and Democratic leaders didn't begin the floor process for the bill until this week — far later than in past years.

A bipartisan group of senators attending the Halifax International Security Forum promised that the Senate would approve the legislation in time as it usually does. But they all answered affirmatively when asked if their foreign counterparts were concerned that lawmakers wouldn’t finish before year’s end.

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https://www.politico.com/news/2021/11/20/annual-defense-bill-senate-allies-worried-523134