GOP senator to object to defense bill

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) says he plans to object to a $585 billion defense policy bill when it reaches the Senate floor.

“Yeah, it’s not going through on” unanimous consent, he told reporters.

{mosads}Coburn, a fiscal hawk, said he would oppose the bill worked out between House and Senate negotiators “because it has packages and earmarks and every other kind of thing that shouldn’t be in the” National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

Conservative lawmakers like Coburn and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) have voiced deep displeasure with the proposed bill over provisions that would create new parks and wilderness areas and have called on their colleagues to block the measure.

Coburn’s objection means the full Senate will not be able to hold a final vote on the measure until Thursday.

The House approved the defense bill last week.

The land package attached to the bill would add 250,000 acres of new wilderness designations, conserve 400,000 acres of public land from development and create 15 new national parks or park expansions.

Retiring Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) told reporters on Monday that he expected the bill to be called up some time “late” Tuesday.

Because the proposed policy bill was not open to amendments, the bill should arrive from the House in a way that could allow it to get through the upper chamber with only one debate-limiting cloture motion and an accompanying 30 hours of debate.