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For the Americans who elected a Democratic Congress to end the Iraq war and the vast majority who want to see an exit plan, the House vote on Thursday, June 19, which restored funding for the occupation of Iraq, was a bitter pill to swallow. Still, there is reason to be hopeful-since the midterm election, the ranks of anti-war Democrats has grown from 44 members to 151 members.
It should be no surprise that the funding was restored. Most House Republicans voted for no additional funding last month--as a protest vote, though, and not because they were responding to the will of the majority of Americans. Nor did Congress vote in a fiscally responsible manner: 268 members--80 of them Democrats--gave this administration the largest blank check ever for Iraq spending, with no strings attached. The bill also included funding for Afghanistan.
In addition, the bill contained language banning the use of military construction funds for the purpose of building permanent military bases in Iraq and required that U.S. funds spent on the reconstruction of Iraq be matched dollar for dollar by the Iraqi government.
The legislation was split into two pieces to appease those House Democrats who refused to vote for more war funding. The second part of the legislation addressed some domestic Democratic priorities: full in-state college tuition for veterans who have served three years since September 11, 2001; a thirteen-week extension of unemployment benefits; and postponing six Medicaid rules from taking effect, which would have negative consequences for seniors, families, and the disabled. This part passed overwhelmingly, 416 to 12.
Slowly gaining ground, the anti-war Democrats in Congress grew in size, adding four new members to their ranks-Reps. Henry Waxman (CA30), Adam Schiff (CA29), Brad Sherman (CA27) and Donna Edwards (MD04)--in large part because of the work of grassroots organizations like Progressive Democrats of America.
At long last, Brad Sherman (CA27) joined the 155 Democrats who voted against the first part of the bill. Members of the PDLA chapter in Sherman's district have been in an on-going dialog with him for two years. They hoped to persuade him to vote only for funds to provide a swift, safe, and orderly withdrawal of all U.S. troops and military contractors from Iraq. They succeeded.
Rep. Donna Edwards (MD04), a PDA-endorsed, Healthcare NOT Warfare candidate, who was sworn in on Thursday morning after winning a special election, cast her first vote in Congress later that afternoon. She was true to her campaign promise and voted Nay.
PDA national director Tim Carpenter said, “Members of the PDA community seek to elect a governing progressive majority. Edwards' election and her first vote indicate that we have a winning strategy.” PDA members will continue to lobby their members of Congress for “Healthcare NOT Warfare”-redirecting unnecessary military spending to meeting human needs, beginning with the passage of HR 676, Conyers' bill to provide single-payer healthcare to all Americans. “We'll either convince them to do the right thing, or we'll find a candidate who will--just as we did with Donna Edwards,” said Carpenter.
Sign the Healthcare NOT Warfare petition, click here.
Follow the links to see how your member of Congress voted on the first part and the second part of this legislation.
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