U.S. House passes defense bill for fiscal year 2011
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House of Representatives on Friday passed the defense authorization bill for fiscal year 2011 after stripping several controversial items.
By a vote of 341 to 48, the House passed the measure which will fund the Pentagon through September 2011.
The bill agreed to 725 billion U.S. dollars in defense programs, including 158.7 billion dollars for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The bill now goes to the Senate. With few days left for the lame-duck session and a crowded Senate schedule, Senators will have to pass the measure unanimously in order to bypass the usual rules and debate process.
The House-passed defense bill is a compromise between Democrats and Republicans, with almost no controversial items left.
Major provisions that have been stripped from the bill include repealing the "don't ask, don't tell" policy which prevent gays from serving openly in the military, as well as a provision allowing for abortions to be performed in military hospitals.
The bill also would continue to restrict transfer of military detainees from the Guantanamo Bay prison to the United States, a major setback for President Barack Obama's effort to close the prison.
