Overnight Defense: Clock ticks down in funding fight | Pentagon chief calls 9/11 bill ‘devastating’ to troops | Taliban leaders watched debate

by Kristina Wong - 09/27/16 7:20 PM ET

THE TOPLINE: The government is just three days away from a shutdown, after Democratic senators on Tuesday rejected a short-term funding bill over its lack of funding for the water crisis in Flint, Mich.

In the case of a shutdown, pay for U.S. troops could be frozen, and civilian workers could be furloughed. During a government shutdown in 2013, 350,000 defense civilians were furloughed without pay for about a week.

{mosads}The Pentagon said Tuesday it had not yet warned employees of a possible shutdown, because its congressional liaisons believed Congress could still solve the funding dispute, according to Stars and Stripes.

To read the latest about the funding fight, The Hill’s Jordain Carney has more here.

PENTAGON CHIEF WARNS ON 9/11 BILL: Defense Secretary Ash Carter said in a letter Tuesday that a bill that would allow Americans to sue foreign nations for supporting terrorist attacks could have “devastating” consequences for U.S. troops overseas.

“Its potential second- and third-order consequences could be devastating to the Department and its Service members and could undermine our important counterterrorism efforts abroad,” Carter warned in a letter addressed to House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas).

The Senate is poised on Wednesday to override the president’s veto of the bill, which passed both houses of Congress unanimously.

The Hill’s Kristina Wong has more on the letter here.

ISIS DID NOT FIRE CHEMICAL WEAPON AT US TROOPS: A U.S. military spokesman said Tuesday that a shell fired at an Iraqi air base last week where U.S. troops were operating did not contain mustard agent.

“Definitive lab tests conclude: No mustard agent present in munitions fired at Qayyarah West AB Sept 20,” tweeted Air Force Col. John Dorrian, spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition fighting ISIS.

Last week, Pentagon officials said ISIS fired a rocket approximately one foot long at Qayyarah air base in northern Iraq.

The Hill’s Rebecca Kheel has the full story.

GREEN BERET AWARDED FOR HEROISM: The Hill sat down for an exclusive interview with Army Special Forces Lt. Col. David Diamond, who on Tuesday was awarded the Soldier’s Medal for heroism during the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.

Here’s an excerpt:

“Suddenly, a blast. Diamond knew exactly what it was. He had served five tours in Iraq, and it sounded just like when his convoy hit a roadside bomb in 2003, severely injuring one of his teammates.

He jumped up and ran toward the sound, less than 50 meters away. It was surreal. He saw limbs everywhere. He said it smelled like a “detonated time fuse” and burning flesh.”

Read the whole story from The Hill’s Kristina Wong here.

ON TAP FOR TOMORROW:

On Wednesday, the House Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing on “Department of Defense Laboratories: Innovation through Science and Engineering in Support of Military Operations” at 2 p.m. at Rayburn 2212.http://bit.ly/2dpSgGV

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee hosts a hearing on “The Persistent Threat of North Korea and Developing an Effective U.S. Response,” at 10 a.m. at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, room 419. http://bit.ly/2cJjQe4

ICYMI:

— The Hill: Dems tie nuclear first-strike bill to concerns about Trump

— The Hill: GOP rep to Obama: Pay for extra troops in Afghanistan

— The Hill: GOP rebuffs call to uphold Obama veto

— The Hill: Taliban ‘very interested’ in debate, watched from secret location

— Associated Press: Battle for besieged Syrian city of Aleppo intensifies

— Stars and Stripes: Congress divided as shutdown again threatens troop pay

Please send tips and comments to Kristina Wong, kwong@thehill.com, and Rebecca Kheel, rkheel@thehill.com