Washington – In grudging concessions to President Bush, Democrats intend to draft an Iraq war-funding bill without a timeline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops and shorn of at least some of the billions they want for domestic programs, officials said Monday.
The legislation would include the first federal minimum-wage increase in more than a decade, a top priority for the Democrats who took control of Congress in January, the officials said.
While details remain subject to change, the measure is designed to close the books by Friday on a bruising struggle between Bush and the Democrat-controlled Congress over the war. It would provide funds for military operations in Iraq through Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year.
Democrats in both houses are expected to seek other opportunities later this year to challenge Bush’s handling of the unpopular conflict.
Bush vetoed one Iraq measure this spring, citing a troop-withdrawal timeline and additional spending that Democrats included. The rejected legislation included $21 billion more than the president requested, and while some of it was targeted for the military, most of it was for domestic programs.
Democratic officials stressed that key issues surrounding the funding measure remained unsettled, and an evening meeting of rank-and-file House members was postponed.
One major uncertainty involved the spending that Democrats in both houses hope to include for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, farmers hit by natural disasters, low-income children’s health and other programs. While determined to avoid a second veto, they are also hoping that an appetite for spending among GOP lawmakers will prod the administration to accept more than it would like.
Another matter yet to be decided by House leaders was whether to split the legislation into two bills, one with the war funding and the minimum wage, and the other reserved for the domestic spending.
Either way, Democratic leaders have said they hope to clear a war-spending bill through both houses of Congress and send it to Bush by week’s end.
Both the House and Senate approved legislation raising the minimum wage of $5.15 an hour to $7.25 an hour in three separate 70-cent increases over 26 months. The measures include modest tax breaks, mainly aimed at helping businesses that hire low-skilled or handicapped workers.
