WASHINGTON — Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin expects a $560 billion Pentagon policy bill to hit the chamber floor on Tuesday.

Some conservative GOP senators are threatening to hold up the bill, regarded as a must-pass item, over concerns it features excessive spending that is unrelated to a military authorization bill.

Because of that threat, the retiring Michigan Democrat told reporters Monday evening that bringing up the bill "late" on Tuesday is a necessary procedural tactic to ensure it could still pass this week after 30 hours of debate time expires.

That "cloture clock" would start Wednesday following any potential objection to moving the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to the president's desk. The bill easily cleared the House last week.

The measure was negotiated by leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services committees behind closed doors after the upper chamber's version stalled due to procedural squabbling.

If the Senate does pass it this week, the bill would clear the military to spend $559.2 billion in fiscal 2015. The compromise version includes $495.5 billion in base funding and $63.7 billion in war funding.

The NDAA has passed both chambers for 53 consecutive years.

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