US Senate Majority Leader John Thune has blocked House Speaker Mike Johnson’s request to include the “MEGOBARI Act” in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), The Hill reports, citing congressional sources.
The outlet reports that Speaker Johnson personally appealed to Thune last month, asking him to add the measure to the defense bill. The Hill notes that this is the second time in three months Thune has rejected the request to incorporate the “MEGOBARI Act” into the NDAA.
Johnson’s push reportedly surprised many on Capitol Hill.
“Speaker Johnson’s lobbying was welcome but seemed to come out of nowhere,” a congressional aide told The Hill. “We thought the bill was dead after Thune shot it down in September. We tried hard to get the bill into the NDAA at the last minute at the Speaker’s request but couldn’t overcome Thune’s opposition.”
Sources say that since November 21, Johnson has instructed his aides to reach out to both Republican and Democratic lawmakers in an attempt to build support for the measure, but without success.
“Thune flatly refused,” one aide said.
The Hill previously reported that Thune first blocked efforts to add the “MEGOBARI Act” to the NDAA in September, following a request from Senator Marquiein Malin (R).
