Senate Votes to Block Iraq War Money
WASHINGTON
(AP)
The Senate on Friday blocked a Republican proposal to pay $70 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan without strings attached.
The 53-45 vote was 15 votes short of the 60 needed to advance.
The measure was aimed at countering Democratic legislation that also would bankroll the operations, but would additionally require that troops start coming home in 30 days.
The Democratic bill, passed by the House on Wednesday, set a goal of ending combat by December 2008.
“We need to get the funds to the troops and we need to do it now,” said Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the only way to get troops the money was to approve the restrictions outlined by Democrats.
“Anything else is political posturing,” said Reid.
Democrats also were expected to fall short of the 60 votes needed to advance their bill.
Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said this week that if Congress cannot pass legislation that ties war money to troop withdrawals, they would not send Bush a bill this year.
Instead, they would revisit the issue upon returning in January, pushing the Pentagon to the brink of an accounting nightmare and deepening Democrats’ conflict with the White House on the war.
In the meantime, Democrats say, the Pentagon can eat into its $471 billion annual budget without being forced to take drastic steps.
“The days of a free lunch are over,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday that unless Congress passes funding for the war within days, he will direct the Army and Marine Corps to begin developing plans to lay off employees and terminate contracts early next year.
Wild Thing’s comment……..
“The days of a free lunch are over,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
The country is at war and this is what the al qaeda operative in the Senate from New York said about our military ??? WTF
Here is the vote on the Democrat bill. RINOS Snow, Hagel and Smith voted with the Dims
And Chris Dodd, and Joseph Leiberman voted with the Republicans on this. what the heck, Chris Dodd? Well good.
If a single soldier is killed because they lacked the funding and equipment due to political posturing Harry Reid, and all those that voted against our troops, I will hold you PERSONALLY responsible!!!!
… and the treasonous bastards are doing this in a time of war? George Washington perhaps should have donned his military uniform on Innauguration Day! This will help get more RED STATE voters out in 11 months… wait and see!
Me too!
I don’t understand why they want failure so badly.
Have we come so far down that failure is the only option?
I want us to win. I want to continue to chase down terrorism wherever it lies and kill it.
I’m a PATRIOT through and through and it makes my blood boil when I hear that they want to cut off funding for the ones who are giving up their todays for all of our tomorrows, including those who would have them fail.
I think we elected some dum-dums and we need to seriously clean house next election time.
Plus, you can’t put a timeline for withdrawal because then the enemy KNOWS what you’re up to.
And they’ll lay low until you start pulling out and then pick up the pace. Didn’t they remember that happened in Vietnam?
Darth, I think so too. The Dems forget that there are Dem families that have sons and daughters serving in the military and they are not going to like this either. The Dem party is going so far to the left that I believe many dems of the old dem party will be saying no way to their party. I hope so.
Lynn I agree, they are working over time trying to show the world they do not want to win. Meanwhile our troops are doing great.