House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said Wednesday it will be difficult to reconcile the Senate’s bipartisan version of the National Defense Authorization Act with the version the House passed. The House version includes controversial amendments on contentious social issues, provisions championed by conservative Republicans.

Smith said during a Defense News event that Democrats are open to discussing modest concessions but that consensus may still be elusive.

“There is no National Defense Authorization Act that [Texas Republican Rep.] Chip Roy votes for and Democrats vote for,” Smith said. “Whatever modest little things we could do are simply not going to be enough for the Freedom Caucus.”

C4ISRNET photo by Colin Demarest