U.S. House of Representatives and Senate negotiators have reached an agreement on a $633 billion defense bill that would tighten sanctions on Iran and provide the Pentagon with some leeway in developing alternative fuels, lawmakers announced Tuesday. Top members of the Armed Services committees said at a Capitol Hill news conference that the House is expected to vote on the measure Thursday, and the Senate will vote later in the week before sending it to President Barack Obama. The White House had threatened to veto the bill, but Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin said lawmakers have addressed a number of the Obama administration's concerns. Levin said that he did not see anything in the final bill that would warrant an Obama veto. The legislation includes a 1.7 percent pay raise for military personnel.
