In response to the military’s widely publicized abuse of prisoners, last night the Senate added a provision to the defense authorization bill (S 2400) that would require the Pentagon to inform Congress of the status of detainees. At the end of a long day of hearings, briefings and debate, five Republicans and all but one Democrat voted to require both reporting and justification of all instances where detainees are denied POW status. The result of over a month of debate, the $447.2 billion defense bill passed Wednesday night with Patrick J. Leahy’s (D-Vermont) prisoner abuse amendment added. This amendment stipulates that detainees whose status is ambiguous must be granted the protections of the Geneva Convention and their cases be rapidly prosecuted. It is unlikely that Leahy’s amendment will survive in conference with the House, who passed their version of the defense bill May 20.

Since the defense bill authorizes an additional $25 billion for military operations that will be available upon its enactment, many have been anxious to have the measure pass quickly. Many other Democratic amendments to the defense bill were blocked by the Republican leadership, including one requiring the president to give Congress an estimate of the number of US troops that will be in Iraq next year. The Senate also agreed to an amendment proposed by John McCain (R-Arizona) that would ensure future Pentagon contracts with Boeing Co. are done responsibly.