Senate Rejects Effort to Ease Terrorist Detainee Policy in Defense Bill
The Hill
By Josiah Ryan
November 29, 2011
The Senate rejected an amendment on Tuesday that would have removed a provision from the pending Defense spending bill to toughen U.S. policy towards suspected terrorists captured on the battlefield or on the home front.
The amendment, defeated 37-61, would have struck a section of the spending bill that authorizes the president to use “all necessary and appropriate force” to detain people suspected of terrorism and instead would have implemented a timeline to allow further hearings and opportunities for the military to make recommendations on how detainee policy ought to change.
Prior to the vote, the amendment’s author, Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.), argued that military and law enforcement professionals ought to be given a louder voice in the deliberation over a policy that could so drastically affect the execution of their duties.
“We are ignoring the advice and the input of the director of the FBI, the director of the intelligence community, the attorney general of the United States, the Secretary of Defense and the White House,” said Udall.
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Why are detention policies even in a spending authorization bill?
They are separate issues, but the Sword of Damoceles is held over heads, that’s why.