Washington – Thwarted in efforts to bring troops home from Iraq, Senate Democrats on Monday helped pass a defense policy bill authorizing another $150 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The 92-3 vote comes as the House planned to approve separate legislation today that requires President Bush to give Congress a plan for eventual troop withdrawals.
The developments underscored the difficulty facing Democrats in the Iraq debate: They lack the votes to pass legislation ordering troops home and are divided on whether to cut money for combat, despite a mandate by supporters to end the war.
Hoping the political landscape changes in coming months, Democratic leaders say they will renew their fight when Congress considers the money Bush wants in war funding.
While the Senate policy bill authorizes the money to be spent, it doesn’t guarantee it; Bush will have to wait until Congress passes a separate appropriations bill before war funds go to military coffers.
“I think that’s where you’re going to see the next dogfight,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.
Democrats say their options include directing that the money be spent on bringing troops home, setting a date when money for the war is cut off and identifying a goal to end the war to try to pressure Bush.
In February, Bush requested more than $140 billion for the war, and he is expected to ask for another $42 billion to cover costs in the 2008 budget year, which began Monday. The Senate’s defense policy bill authorizes Bush’s initial request, plus an additional $23 billion for the purchase of bomb-resistent vehicles.
In addition to war money, the Senate’s defense policy bill authorizes more than a half-trillion dollars in annual military programs, including such big-ticket items as $10.1 billion for missile defense.
Sens. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., and Wayne Allard, R-Colo., added an amendment that requires the Army to produce a report detailing why it needs to expand its Fort Carson training site in Piñon Canyon. It also requires the Government Accountability Office to review the report.
Allard and Salazar also joined with Sen. Mitch McConnell and Jim Bunning, both Kentucky Republicans, in an amendment setting a deadline of Dec. 31, 2017, for destroying weapons stockpiles at the Pueblo Chemical Depot. It would come into play if the Pentagon fails to meet the 2012 deadline agreed to in a treaty.
Salazar also added three other amendments. One directs the Pentagon to develop a plan to prevent encroachment by developers and others on land surrounding military bases. The second expands Pentagon funding for participation in paralympic programs by injured military members and veterans. The third requires the Army to look into stationing six helicopters at the High Altitude Army National Guard Aviation Training Site in Gypsum. Crews training there now bring their own equipment.
Denver Post staff writer Anne C. Mulkern contributed to this report.
