Congress Delays War Money

Nov. 16, 2007 — -- Senators rejected two different proposals for Iraq War funding today before adjourning for their Thanksgiving recess.

Democrats squashed a war funding proposal offered by Senate Republicans that would give $70 billion to President Bush to continue operations in Iraq and Afghanistan — without strings attached to get troops out of Iraq.

Senate Democrats argued today that war money should be tied to troop withdrawals because the Baghdad government has not taken advantage of the security provided by U.S. forces.

But Republicans accused Democrats of trying to pull troops out of Iraq just when reports of violence in Iraq appear to be down.

"This is ridiculous, undercutting America's vital national security interests and tells America's soldiers you're losers when they're winners," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who argued for the Republican $70 billion without strings attached.

Graham said the surge is one of the "most successful military ventures in history."

Republicans killed a different Democratic proposal today that would have given the president $50 billion to start withdrawing combat troops from Iraq. A similar measure passed the House earlier this week.

'Deadliest Year'

But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., countered, "We must not forget that 2007 has been the deadliest year for our troops in the entire war. Thirty-nine hundred Americans have been killed. Tens of thousands have been wounded."

Reid said there were 1,560 violent explosions in Iraq in the last month. "Sounds like a lot of violence to me," he said.

The measures were both defeated on procedural cloture votes that required 60 votes.

Some Democrats expressed frustration today that party leaders in the Senate cannot reach an agreement on war funding.

"We are debating one of the most serious matters before this or any other Congress — the matter of war," Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson said.

'What Are We Doing? Parlor Tricks'

"We have troops in the field, fighting and dying, and what are we doing? Parlor tricks. Procedural gimmicks. Meaningless acts of partisanship designed to haze other members of the Senate. It's time for the parlor tricks and gamesmanship to stop. I sincerely hope that when we return from the Thanksgiving break — a break not afforded to our troops in Iraq — both sides can get down to serious consideration of a meaningful path forward in Iraq. We owe this to our soldiers, their families and the American people," he said.

Democrat Chris Dodd of Connecticut, who is running for president, broke with his party today.

Dodd does not think the "phased withdrawal" proposal pushed by Democratic leaders went far enough to end the war.

After the vote, Reid said President Bush and Republicans need to accept "accountability" for the war by allowing Democrats to pass their war funding bill and its goal for withdrawing combat troops.

"The reason that [Bush] doesn't have his money as we speak is because he refuses to have any accountability for the money spent in Iraq. Eight-hundred billion dollars, shouldn't there be some minimal accountability?" Reid asked.

"That's all we're asking. So I say the president and his enablers in Congress are so afraid of being held accountable for this disastrous war policy that they'd rather leave our men and women in uniform empty-handed than work to change course in Iraq," he said.

Reid questioned claims made by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates Thursday that the Pentagon will have to start laying off employees.

Citing Gates' testimony that the Pentagon would be fine through the end of February by reappropriating money from other accounts, Reid pointed out that Bush signed a half-trillion dollar spending bill for regular, annual Pentagon operations earlier this week.

Party Showdown Over War Funding

"The president just got $470 billion. That's good, if we do nothing else, until the end of February or the middle of March," Reid said. "We offered him some more money. He refused that. So if they want to follow the president over the cliff, then they're welcome to do that. We are not going to shut the government down. We're going to continue to work. We're not going to have a Gingrich-type Congress. We're going to do the responsible thing for the American people," Reid said.

But Reid backed down from a pledge to force the president to sign on to withdrawal language.

Asked whether Democrats would ever refuse to send the president a supplemental spending bill without withdrawal language, Reid said, "I've learned a long time ago in this business, never is not a word that's in my vocabulary. … We're going to continue to do the right thing."

Republican Senate Leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, said he will continue to block legislation until Reid operates the Senate and the amendment process in a more bipartisan way.

"We should have finished the farm bill today; instead, we're still gridlocked on the farm bill. I would hope that some time over the next two weeks, the majority leader and I can discuss the parameters of going and finishing the farm bill, getting the funding to the troops without restrictions and without surrender dates," McConnell said.