! Pelosi's Pork-Heavy Iraq Bill Defeated!

http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/house_funding_wars/2008/05/15/96501.html

House Rejects Bill Funding Iraq, Afghan Wars

Thursday, May 15, 2008

WASHINGTON ? President Bush's Iraq war funding request collapsed in
the House Thursday as anti-war Democrats and Republicans unhappy about
added domestic funding combined to kill ? for now ? $163 billion to
support U.S. troops overseas.

The unlikely coalition formed when Republicans expected to provide the
winning margin for the Iraq and Afghanistan funding instead sat out
the vote in protest.

The GOP revolt was a response to Democratic strong-arm tactics in
advancing the must-pass measure, as well as their efforts to add money
for the unemployed and an expansion of GI education benefits.

The defeat of the Iraq funding measure came on a 149-141 tally. Nearly
two-thirds of the House's Democrats voted against continuing to fund
the war as 132 Republicans sat out the vote in protest.

Democrats then forced through a nonbinding plan seeking an exit from
Iraq by December of next year. The 224-196 vote on the measure broke
mostly along party lines.

Thirty-two Republicans joined Democrats on a 256-166 vote to sharply
boost education benefits for Iraq-Afghanistan veterans under the GI
Bill ? despite an accompanying tax surcharge on the wealthy and small
businesses ? and voted to provide a 13-week extension of unemployment
benefits.

The practical effect of the GOP protest is likely to be minimal. While
it kills the war funding component of the bill for now, the Senate is
sure to revive it next week.

The White House weighed in again Thursday with a promise to veto the
bill over the non-war spending, the new tax surcharge and restrictions
on Bush's ability to conduct the war in Iraq.

Republicans said the strategy by Democrats to load the war funding
measure with non-war provisions like extending unemployment benefits
unnecessarily delays getting funding to troops in the field.

But some Senate Republicans didn't get the message.

Conservatives Larry Craig, R-Idaho and Richard Shelby, R-Ala., for
example, sent out numerous news releases crowing about domestic
add-ons such as $450 million to combat Western wildfires and $75
million to help commercial fishermen in a substantially more expensive
Senate companion measure that cleared the Appropriations panel
Thursday afternoon.

In the House, each side accused the other of using the must-pass troop
funding bill for political advantage.

"We're playing political games on the backs of our troops ? you know
it," said Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio. "All this bill's going
to do is delay the process for weeks and weeks and weeks while we play
political games."

The GOP revolt came two days after the party suffered a devastating
loss in a Mississippi special election that left Republicans saying
big changes in party message are needed in order to connect with
voters. Thursday's moves were not orchestrated by party leaders and
whether they were politically savvy was not at all clear.

"With today's vote, the Republicans have shown that they are confused
and are in disarray," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. "House
Republicans refused to pay for a war they support, and by voting
against the GI bill, they refused to support our veterans when they
come home."

House action on the bill was the first act in a complicated
legislative dance that promises to spill over into June, when the
Pentagon will have to send out warnings of possible furloughs to
civilian employees and contract workers.

Democrats engineered the three-vote minuet to allow anti-war liberals
to vote against funding the Iraq war.

The add-ons for the unemployed and the new college benefits under the
GI Bill represented the price demanded by Democrats for approving
Bush's long-stalled request for additional war funding.

The new GI Bill essentially would guarantee a full scholarship at any
in-state public university, along with a monthly housing stipend, for
people who serve in the military for at least three years. It is aimed
at replicating the benefits awarded veterans of World War II and would
cost $52 billion over 10 years.

To pay for it and adhere to budget rules requiring new benefit
programs not add to the deficit, the Democratic plan would impose a
surtax on individuals with incomes above $500,000. Couples would pay
the tax on income exceeding $1 million.

"We are talking about people who are making over $1 million to pay a
small sacrifice for this war where our military families are paying a
huge sacrifice," said Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill.

Senators in both parties, however, were balking at the one-half of a
percentage point increase in tax rates. At the same time, Republicans
and business groups said the plan amounts to an increase in taxes on
small businesses that pay taxes at the same rates as individuals.

GOP Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin said the Democratic bill "would bust
the budget with billions in non-emergency spending but also raise
taxes on small business. I can't think of a worse time to implement a
tax increase with a weak economy that is struggling to create and grow
jobs."

The war spending portion would have provided $163 billion for military
operations in Iraq and Afghanistan into next year, slightly less than
Bush's request.

The House measure also includes money for foreign aid and military
construction projects as well as flood protection around New Orleans
and a variety of smaller items.

Besides the GI benefits, Democrats have tacked on a plan to give 13
more weeks of unemployment checks to people whose benefits have
expired and 13 weeks beyond that in states with especially high
unemployment rates.

Bush also has threatened to veto any bill that ties his hands on Iraq.
The House measure would require Bush to begin pulling out troops from
Iraq within 30 days once the bill becomes law, with a nonbinding goal
of a complete withdrawal of combat troops within 18 months. Senate
Republicans are expected to block the provision.


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