The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) has been passed again. By a vote of 98-0, the 2013 NDAA was unanimously passed in the Senate Tuesday evening. Sen. Rockefeller (D-WV) and Sen. Kirk (R-IL) abstained from voting. The controversial bill authorizes funding for the 2013 military. Somewhere, in the midst of the $650 billion funding bill, mixed in with $88.5 billion for ongoing wars and $60 billion for the Navy’s F-18 fighter program, remains the indefinite detention clause that had many so upset in 2012. An amendment to the 2013 NDAA included the right to trial for “citizens and permanent legal residents”, despite the fact that the Constitution demands all accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) angered many of his father’s supporters by voting for the 2013 NDAA. Doug Stafford, Paul’s chief of staff, stated that Sen. Paul believes that “the full panoply of due process rights should apply to all persons, not just American citizens.” Sen. Paul, however, still voted for the passage of the NDAA.