With a presidential veto expected on the funding stream meant to safeguard the 2008 national political conventions, the senators whose capitol cities are hosting the events have hatched a backup provision with an appropriations bill to be voted on Thursday.
Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman introduced an amendment to the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriation Wednesday that would provide $50 million each for Denver and St. Paul. The spokesman for Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., Cody Wertz, confirmed that Colorado and Minnesota senators are supporting the amendment.
Attempts to reach Coleman late Wednesday weren’t successful.
The $100 million request is identical to one already made and approved by the Senate this summer as part of the Homeland Security appropriation, but President Bush has warned he will veto that bill if it is not trimmed by $5.3 billion.
With the appropriations process to conclude by Sept. 30, the last-minute move Wednesday shows that the effort to secure the conventions has had its challenges.
A request for the $100 million within a House bill made this spring by Rep. Diana DeGette and her counterparts in Minnesota was trimmed down to $25 million — or to $12.5 million per city — by the appropriations committee.
An attempt by the senators to gain the money through a supplemental emergency spending bill for the war in Iraq died in committee.
“The point is, we are really working as hard as we can to get the money as quickly as possible,” said Katherine Archuleta, the Denver Mayor’s office liaison for the convention.
Denver and Minneapolis-St. Paul officials are working together to stress the need for the full $100 million to be made available as soon as possible, Archuleta said.
But the backup plan also faces challenges. Though Bush is supporting the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs bill, he says he has done so because of its support for veterans. And the president’s support comes with the caveat that other spending must be kept to his total goal of $933 billion.
Staff writer Chuck Plunkett can be reached at 303-954-1333 or cplunkett@denverpost.com.
