On Wednesday, the Senate approved a measure that President Barack Obama had been threatening to veto over a battle between Democrats and Republicans on government spending. The $612 billion defense policy bill was approved 70 to 27 in the Senate and 269 to 151 in the House, with enough Democratic votes to sustain a veto. The bill includes a 1.3 percent increase in pay for service members, an extension on the CIA’s torture ban, and $715 million for Iraqi forces fighting against ISIL.
