Dems Won’t Vote For Troop Funding
WASHINGTON - Democrats are debating whether to approve $50 billion to $70 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan, a quarter to less than half of President Bush’s $196 billion request but enough to keep the wars afloat for several more months.
Such a move would satisfy party members who want to spare the Pentagon from a painful budget dance and support the troops as Congress considers its next major step on Iraq.
But it would also irritate scores of other Democrats, who want to pay only to bring troops home and who say their leadership is not doing enough to end the war.
“I cannot vote for another dollar that will be used to continue the president’s occupation of Iraq,” said Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif.
Democratic leaders caution that no decisions have been made, including whether to approve any money for the wars at all. Also uncertain is which spending bill might contain the war money.
But on the table are estimates of $40 billion to $70 billion—with $50 billion considered the most likely scenario. The final amount would depend on how many months of combat that Democrats would want to support, and how much money they think the Pentagon needs to buy new bomb-resistant vehicles that protect troops from roadside blasts.
Many Democrats say the money is necessary if Congress passes an annual defense spending bill without any war funding. If left without a “bridge fund” to fill the gap until Congress takes up the full $196 billion request, the Pentagon would have to divert money from less urgent accounts to pay for immediate war requirements—an approach military officials warn is disruptive and inefficient.
These Democrats also say they want to avoid giving the public perception that the party is turning its back on the troops.
Earlier this fall, Democrats decided to delay until next year action on Bush’s war spending request. Unable to pass veto-proof legislation ordering troops home, they also are divided on whether to continue paying for the unpopular war.
Party officials said they hoped that by next year, as election season approached, more Republicans might be willing to support anti-war legislation.
House and Senate appropriators hoped to complete an agreement on the 2008 defense appropriations bill on Thursday. Neither the House or Senate version of the bill includes war spending.
Planning to meet privately on Tuesday to discuss the bill were Reps. John Murtha and C.W. Bill Young and Sens. Daniel Inouye and Ted Stevens. Murtha, D-Pa., and Inouye, D-Hawaii, chair the House and Senate panels that oversee military spending; Young, R-Fla., and Stevens, R-Alaska, are the top Republicans on those subcommittees.
(AP)
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I’m so fucking sick of these people…
October 30th, 2007 at 3:22 amI vote we de-fund CONGRESS.
All we would have to do is to stop any money taken out of our paychecks and send the amount directly to the White House.
Or sue Congress for violating the Constitution: “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, …”
October 30th, 2007 at 3:38 amreally now, when do we take these guys out? if not by vote then how?
it’s getting time to choose sides people
October 30th, 2007 at 4:57 amI’ve already chosen my side. Isn’t there any way we can get these fucking cretins out of our fucking government and replace them with people who will do right by this nation?
October 30th, 2007 at 5:11 amWhy am i not surprised? the DemonRats dont care about this country, our troops or common sense. They only care about power so they can control this country with their ideology. Their Ideology by the way, is anti-god, anti-family, pro-abortion, isolationist and terrorist ass kissing. All the things I am completely against
October 30th, 2007 at 8:20 am