By IANS,
Washington: US House of Representatives Wednesday passed a massive defence budget, after making changes that the White House called would not constrain the administration’s counterterrorism efforts.
The bill, passed with a 283-136 vote, was $662 billion in size. It was ammended at the last minute to include language that the White House demanded, Xinhua reported.
The change came after the White House waved veto threat for two weeks. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said in a statement Wednesday that after the changes, the bill’s “language does not challenge or constrain the president’s ability to collect intelligence, incapacitate dangerous terrorists, and protect the American people, and the president’s senior advisors will not recommend a veto.”
The White House had previously threatened to veto the bill over requirements for terrorism suspects to be detained in military installations, calling it a “legally controversial restriction of the president’s authority.”
The Senate was expected to approve the measure later this week before sending it to President Barack Obama for his signature.