TPMcafe: House, Senate Dems Agree on War Spending Bill

House, Senate Dems Agree On War Spending Bill

By Greg Sargent

House and Senate Dems have reached tentative agreement on the big war spending bill. According to the Associated Press, the legislation does the following:

• Funds more than $90 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

• Begins withdrawal of troops from Iraq on Oct. 1, with the goal of ending combat by April 1, 2008.

• Requires troop withdrawal to begin July 1 if President Bush cannot certify that the Iraqi government is making progress in disarming militias, reducing sectarian violence and forging political agreements.

• Restricts foreign aid spending in Iraq if benchmarks are not met.

• Allows Bush to keep troops in Iraq after the withdrawal date to conduct counterterrorism missions, protect U.S. infrastructure and personnel and train Iraqi security forces.

• Bars deployment of troops not deemed "fully mission capable" and limits combat tours to one year for Army units and seven months for Marines. Allows president to waive these restrictions.

• Adds about $25 billion not requested by Bush for medical care for troops and veterans, aid to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, farm disaster relief and other programs.

So, as expected, the bill contains the Senate's version: It mandates that withdrawal begin this year, with the nonbinding goal of having all the troops out in a year or so. It'll be interesting to see where the House liberals go on this.