“My personal view is that Senator McCain is correct on this. I intend to follow his lead. We’ll find out when we finally get around to debating this bill, which I think will not be before the end of the year.”
Republican leaders in Congress have made lengthening the Bush-era tax cuts a priority in the lame-duck session and threatened to block all legislation until they were extended.
The Senate Armed Services Committee, of which McCain is the ranking Republican member, heard testimony last week from the military service chiefs, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen. Gates and Mullen called for the policy to be repealed immediately, while the service chiefs called for a delay in repeal until combat operations cease.