Thread by @gregorykorte

The @WhiteHouse just sent Congress a long list of 40 different concerns and objections it has to the defense authorization bill.

These statements of administration policy are usually technical, but President Trump is making some interesting demands here: <thread>

1. President Obama used to threaten vetoes of bills that barred him from closing Guantanamo Bay. Trump "strongly objects" because Congress doesn't want to spend enough on #Gitmo. "It also does not meet the requirements of the aging detainee population."

2. Trump wants more flexibility to grant sanctions relief under the Russian sanctions bill he begrudgingly signed last year over the threat of a veto override:

3. The Trump administration opposes mandatory minimum sentences for sex crimes in the Armed Forces.

4. President Trump says he wants to create a sixth branch of the Armed Forces — the Space Force. But his administration is objecting to a number of provisions that would begin to implement that, calling them "premature."

5. There's a provision in the NDAA that would bar the government from acquiring telecom equipment from Chinese firms Huawei and ZTE because of security concerns. But Trump is concerned about the "unintended consequences of such a broad prohibition."

6. Congress wants to prevent the Armed Services from revoking medals and awards. The Trump administration says commanders need the power to "preserve the prestige and integrity of these awards."