House Poised to Tie Strings to Iraq War Funds

[babylonsister]

Geeze, why bother, right, Harry?


http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=5&docID=cqmidday-000002626527

House Poised to Tie Strings to Iraq War Funds

The House is expected to take up a bill Wednesday providing $50 billion to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for a few more months, setting up another Senate showdown over Iraq withdrawal provisions later this week.

A Democratic leadership aide confirmed that the “bridge fund” to cover war costs until Feb. 1 would be brought to the House floor Wednesday. Democratic leaders Tuesday reiterated their intention to include provisions calling on the president to change course in Iraq.

House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer , D-Md., told reporters he was confident Democratic leaders have the votes to pass the war spending bill. “We’re going to pass the legislation, we’re going to send it to the Senate,” he said.

But Senate Majority leader Harry Reid , D-Nev., admitted that he has no reason to believe that more Republican senators will support the strings-attached war funding bill than supported previous measures that likewise sought to force President Bush to start withdrawing troops from Iraq.

When asked if he expects the bill to get the 60 votes needed to overcome a likely Republican filibuster, Reid joked, “I always have expectations that we’re going to get 60 votes, but we’ve never been able to do it.”

The bill is expected to include a demand that U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq begin within 30 days of enactment, with a “goal” of withdrawing most troops by Dec. 15, 2008. Use of funds in the bill would be restricted to missions of force protection, counterterrorism, and training of the Iraqi security forces, according to details provided by the House Speaker’s office.