House and Senate Advance Defense Bill Without Including 'War' Funds

Military Bill Omits War Funds


Tuesday November 6, 2007 4:46 PM

By ANNE FLAHERTY

Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - House and Senate negotiators agreed Tuesday on a $460 billion Pentagon bill that bankrolls pricey weapons systems and bomb-resistant vehicles for troops, but has little for Iraq and Afghanistan.

Democrats said they wouldn't leave troops in the lurch, but were reluctant to say when Congress might consider President Bush's $196 billion request to pay expressly for combat operations.

Republicans supported the spending measure, but said the lack of war money would cause a tremendous strain on the military. To keep the wars afloat, the Pentagon would have to transfer money from less urgent accounts, such as personnel and training programs.

Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, the top Republican on the Senate defense appropriations panel, said that if Congress didn't act soon, the Army would run out of money by January.

Stevens suggested adding $70 billion to the bill for the wars, but Democrats, who hold sway on the panel, declined.

``This amendment would send to the president additional funding for his horrible, misguided war in Iraq without any congressional direction that he change course. No strings attached,'' said Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., chairman of the Appropriations Committee.

While the bill omits most money for the war, it does include $11 billion for Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles. Stevens said the money to produce the vehicles was useless unless Congress approved additional funds to deploy them.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7054516,00.html