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Funding for Guantanamo Bay Closure Dropped from Budget
By Mark Impomeni - Politics DailyRepublicans appear to have secured a major victory over the Obama Administration and the Democratic leadership of Congress on the president's request for $81 million to close the terrorist detention center at Guantanamo Bay. Democrats dropped President Obama's request for the closure money from the text of a $94 billion supplemental appropriations bill to fund operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Democrats dropped the provision in the face of criticism from Republicans over the Administration's as yet unannounced plans for housing the detainees once the facility closes.Iowa Rep. Steve King (R) ...
Looming Election Slows Progress in Senate
By Mark Impomeni - Politics DailyThe Senate adjourned for the Fourth of July Recess without taking action on several important pending bills, including a mortgage bailout, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act reauthorization, and the war funding supplemental. Democratic leaders complain that minority Republicans have deliberately stalled legislation in an attempt to create a "do-nothing Congress" against which to run in the fall. But Democrats have short memories, forgetting that when they were in the minority, they adopted much the same tactics to prevent bills that they opposed from advancing. Then, filibusters were a ...
Deal Reached on War Funding
By Mark Impomeni - Politics DailyDemocratic and Republican negotiators have reached a tentative deal in the ongoing battle over funding for the war in Iraq. The Pentagon will receive all of the money requested by the White House for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan without restrictions, while Democrats will get some domestic measures inserted into the bill to help satisfy their political base. Most important politically for the Democrats, however, is that the deal will provide funds for the war through fiscal year 2009; thereby avoiding an election season vote on war funding. The compromise is slated for a vote in the House ...
War Funding Bill Comes to Senate Floor
By Mark Impomeni - Politics DailyTaking a cue from their counterparts in the House, the Senate will begin debate on the president's supplemental war funding measure today. The Administration is seeking $108 billion in funds for the remainder of the fiscal year, which concludes on September 30th, and has agreed to include $70 billion for operations lasting into the first half of 2009. That allows Congressional Democrats a small victory on one of their key goals, avoiding a vote on war funding in the month before the November elections. Many House and Senate Democrats may have felt compelled to support funding so close to an ...
In Surprise Move House GOP Kills War Funding
By Mark Impomeni - Politics DailyThe House of Representatives voted on the latest supplemental war-funding bill requested by the president today. But in a strategic twist, 132 House Republicans voted "present" rather than cast yes or no votes, affectively removing their votes from the total. The result was that the funding portion of the bill was defeated 149-141, on the strength of anti-war Democrats' votes.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and the Democratic leadership had decided on a novel strategy to address the war funding measure. It called for the bill to be split into three parts, one each for war spending, non ...
Mullen Warns Soldiers' Pay in Jeopardy
By Mark Impomeni - Politics DailyThe Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen, is warning Congress that the Pentagon will be forced to stop paying soldiers after June 15th if a $108 billion supplemental war-funding measure is not passed soon. He told Roll Call (subscription required) that the uncertainty surrounding the bill creates unnecessary pressure in the military. "It makes it extremely difficult to execute the day-to-day business of the Pentagon without knowing the money is coming," he said.The Bush Administration and Congressional Republicans have been calling on Congress to pass the supplemental ...
WH Says Funding Cut Could Prolong Iraq War
By Mark Impomeni - Politics DailyIn a new line of argument, the White House cautioned Congress that any funding cuts in aid for Iraq could wind up lengthening the war effort there. This is the first time that the White House has used this reasoning in its annual battle with the Democratic-controlled Congress over war funding and could reflect a new confidence within the Administration about the eventual outcome of the war. In past funding debates, the Administration has focused its lobbying efforts around the strategic argument of completing the mission in Iraq and the moral imperative for Congress to provide resources to ...
WH, Democrats Prep for War Funding Debate
By Mark Impomeni - Politics DailyThe Bush Administration has requested $108 billion in supplemental funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for the remainder of this fiscal year. Democratic leaders in Congress are trying to decide how to proceed on the measure. President Bush has threatened to veto any war spending measure that exceeds his funding request or that contains added provisions. Democrats are considering both strategies to make the funding request more palatable to some in their caucus. It's a reprise of a battle fought between the Administration and Congress last year, one the Democrats eventually lost, and ...
Republicans Now Welcome Senate Iraq Debate
By Mark Impomeni - Politics DailyIn a strategy twist, the Senate Republican conference agreed to allow a vote on an anti-war Iraq measure to take place, changing their previous strategy of blocking the measure from coming up for debate on the Senate floor. After a meeting of the caucus, however, a test vote on the measure, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), passed by a vote of 70-24. "We welcome a debate on Iraq," said Senate Minority Mitch McConnell (R-KY).The legislation in question would require funds for combat operations in Iraq to be cut off in 120 days. Reid said that ...
Senate Authorizes Defense Bill
By Mark Impomeni - Politics DailyYesterday, the Senate approved an authorizing resolution for fiscal year 2008 defense appropriations. Included in the legislation is $150 billion on top of funds allocated for the Pentagon for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan that was sought by the White House. This bill only determines the size of the pot for defense related expenditures in 2008, it does not actually fill that pot with any money. Congress plans on passing separate appropriations legislation later that will determine just how much funding the war receives. It will be on that bill that Congressional Democrats will try once ...
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