House negotiators named for defense bill

Speaker John Boehner (Ohio) on Thursday selected 18 of his fellow Republicans to represent the chamber in coming talks over the annual defense policy bill. 

“The House passed a strong defense bill that promises the pay raise and benefits our troops have earned and provides the tools, resources, and authorities they need to keep America safe,” Boehner said in a statement.

{mosads}He ripped Democrats who supported the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) when it was marked up by the House Armed Services Committee but “withdrew their support to extract more government spending on bureaucracies like the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] and the IRS.”

Democratic leaders also made their picks for the talks.

Selecting negotiators to reconcile the House and Senate versions of the massive $612 billion authorization bill was held up slightly after the Senate Armed Services Committee received a “blue slip” warning that some of its provisions aimed at revamping military retirement benefits fell under the purview of the Senate Finance Committee.

That issue was resolved on the Senate floor Thursday morning, when lawmakers agreed by unanimous consent to reconfigure part of the Senate’s NDAA.

The House conferees will be led by Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), who was named the chairman of the overall negotiations during a ceremonial “pass the gavel” ceremony.

The two defense bills contain major differences on the fate of the U.S. detention center at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and Pentagon acquisition reform.

“We’re going to work hard to resolve issues and try to get them done mid-July, or at least in time before the August break,” Thornberry told reporters before the close-door ceremony.

Both bills have earned a veto threat from the White House because they include a roughly $38 billion boost to the Pentagon’s war fund, allowing the department to skirt budget caps put in place by the 2011 Budget Control Act.

“I hope the President will think long and hard about his threat to veto the NDAA at a time when he is sending troops into harms way,” Thornberry said in a statement.

Other Republican conferees include Reps. Randy Forbes (Va.), Jeff Miller (Fla.), Joe Wilson (S.C.), Frank LoBiondo (N.J.), Rob Bishop (Utah), Michael Turner (Ohio), John Kline (Minn.), Mike Rogers (Ala.), Bill Shuster (Pa.), Mike Conaway (Texas), Doug Lamborn (Colo.), Rob Wittman (Va.), Duncan Hunter (Calif.), Vicky Hartzler (Mo.), Joe Heck (Nev.), Brad Wenstrup (Ohio) and Elise Stefanik (N.Y.).

The Democratic conferees are Armed Services ranking member Adam Smith (Wash.), Loretta Sanchez (Calif.), Susan Davis (Calif.), James Langevin (R.I.), Rick Larsen (Wash.), Jim Cooper (Tenn.), Joe Courtney (Conn.), Niki Tsongas (Mass.), John Garamendi (Calif.), Hank Johnson (Ga.), Jackie Speier (Calif.), Joaquin Castro (Texas), Tammy Duckworth (Ill.) and Del. Madeleine Bordallo (Guam).

The Senate will likely name its conferees after the July 4 break.

— This story was last updated at 5:23 p.m.