The Hill News

The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee says that he would rather go without a defense spending bill this year than compromise on allowing military chaplains to conduct gay marriages.

Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) said on C-SPAN’s “Newsmakers” that he would also rather see Congress fail to pass a defense authorization measure for the first time in 50 years if it meant giving in on a provision that effectively bans many terrorism suspects from getting civilian trials.

McKeon’s comments could help facilitate a staredown with the Democratic-controlled Senate, which hasn’t shown as much inclination to take a similar stance on those issues.

The Senate’s defense authorization bill! , which has cleared the Armed Services panel but not the full chamber, does not include the House provision on gay marriage. And some Democrats in that chamber are reportedly not on board with a compromise on detainee trials currently in the Senate measure.

“My hope is that we will have a good bill,” McKeon said.

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