The decision puts both House and Senate appropriators on record as backing $1.4 billion in funding for commissary operations next year, a total that would avoid forced store closings, reduced operating hours and potential layoffs of staff.

The House draft of the annual defense authorization bill also rejects the commissary cuts, but the Senate Armed Services Committee supported the lower funding level in its draft of the budget policy bill.

Thursday's move gives momentum to outside advocates who have argued the impact of the lost money would cause financial hardship and dent morale among military families. But it also sets up a potentially divisive discussion to reconcile the issue before the defense budget is complete.

Pentagon officials and White House planners had recommended the commissary cut — almost a quarter of the annual funding total — in its budget draft in February, arguing the savings are needed as part of larger personnel reforms designed to redirect scarce funds to modernization and training programs.

But Sen. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, the ranking Democrat on the committee, blasted the move as a shortsighted idea from "Pentagon bean splicers" and said those savings should not come at the expense of troops' wallets.

"The president is wrong," she said. "[Defense Secretary] Ash Carter is wrong on this. These are false savings."

Her amendment would make up for the commissary shortfall with offsets from the Pentagon's foreign currency account and savings in its spare part supply chain. All other members of the committee supported the plan.

Mikulski said she also opposes long-term Pentagon plans to privatize the commissary system, and promised more future fights with military officials on that issue.

The committee's $576 billion defense spending plan for fiscal 2016 is mostly in line with that of House appropriators, but includes almost $37 billion in extra war funding designed to get around broader defense spending caps. That plan has invited a presidential veto and pledges from Democrats to filibuster the budget bills.

Karen has covered military families, quality of life and consumer issues for Military Times for more than 30 years, and is co-author of a chapter on media coverage of military families in the book "A Battle Plan for Supporting Military Families." She previously worked for newspapers in Guam, Norfolk, Jacksonville, Fla., and Athens, Ga.

Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.

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