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This segment by Scott Cox, CongressNow staff
Thursday, December 6-- House Democratic leaders today indicated that they will vote next week on an omnibus spending package for fiscal 2008 that would likely provide money for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars without controversial troop withdrawal provisions.
"There probably will be some level of addressing Afghanistan, some of the domestic concerns about child care," Speaker Nancy Pelosi said this morning. She added that negotiators were also considering supplemental funding to prevent civilian furloughs at the Defense Department.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) announced this afternoon the House would vote Tuesday night on an omnibus appropriations bill.
"I would hope to pass such a bill on Tuesday ," Hoyer said this afternoon in a floor colloquy with House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.). "There has been discussion with the administration so that we can make sure the government doesn't shut down."
Asked by Blunt whether the House would have a chance to vote on war funding for Iraq and Afghanistan that did not include withdrawal language, Hoyer responded, "I anticipate that at some point in time that that would be the case."
President Bush has warned that the absence of additional Defense dollars for fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan could result in cutbacks to base services and ongoing contract work early next year to cover war costs. Democratic leaders have dismissed the administration's assertions, countering that the Pentagon has enough resources within the base fiscal 2008 Defense appropriations bill to last until March.
Negotiations on an expected catch-all appropriations package continued as of press time, leaving in doubt whether Congress will wrap up its work by next week and increasing the likelihood that a stopgap funding measure will be required to continue government operations into the next calendar year. Current funding is set to expire Dec. 14.
"Both sides of the aisle are working together," said a spokeswoman for Senate Appropriations Chairman Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), who did not provide specifics.
One indication that the session could lead right up to Christmas Eve is the recent contradicting statements by House and Senate Democratic leaders on high-profile items such as Iraq war funding.
PDA Advisory Board member and Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus Rep. Lynn Woolsey, released the following statement today, December 7:
“The American public put Democrats in power a year ago so that we could stand up to the President on the issue of Iraq, and work to bring our brave men and women home to their families. With the recent passage of H.R. 4156, the Orderly and Responsible Iraq Redeployment Appropriations Act, this Chamber stepped up to that responsibility, and put itself on record in favor of a very clear position --that we would only provide funding for Iraq that would be used to redeploy our troops in a safe and orderly manner. Those of us in this chamber made that promise, and the American public expects us to keep it. That’s why I will not vote for any omnibus bill that veers away from that commitment.”
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