Thursday: NDAA, NSA data collection, water bill

The House will complete consideration of the 2015 national defense authorization and take up the a bill to end the National Security Agency’s bulk data collection.

{mosads}Debate of the 169 amendments to the defense authorization has been completed. Roll call votes are expected on many of the amendments Thursday morning.

After final passage of the defense authorization, the House will consider the USA Freedom Act. The Obama administration supports the measure, but many privacy groups have expressed concern that negotiations have watered down the surveillance reforms.

The Senate starts at 10 a.m. and will hold a vote around 2 p.m. to confirm the controversial nomination of David Barron, who authored memos justifying drone strikes on U.S. citizens, to serve on the First Circuit Court of Appeals.

Immediately after the confirmation vote, the Senate will pass the conference report on the bipartisan bill, known as the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA). WRRDA, which spends $12.3 billion bill to boost U.S. ports and waterways, has broad support in the Senate and already passed on a 412-4 vote in the House.