War supplemental faces lengthy debate

War supplemental faces lengthy debate

By Peter Cohn, CongressDaily
Senate Republican leaders face a potential minefield on the floor when the chamber takes up an fiscal 2005 emergency war supplemental bill, most likely in early April.

Senators from both parties are gearing up to add hundreds of millions of dollars in food aid for developing countries, assistance with Haitian elections, and as much as $2 billion in healthcare benefits for veterans and reservists.

At the same time, conservatives led by Sens. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., want to remove emergency designations for up to $5.6 billion of President Bush's $81.9 billion request dealing with foreign assistance they say is not immediately needed. The Senate also could bog down by proposals to loosen immigration requirements.

Supporters of those proposals see an opportunity because the supplemental probably will pass the House carrying with it House Judiciary James Chairman Sensenbrenner's, R-Wis., bill to tighten drivers' license requirements and asylum standards.

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