Withdrawal Not Required in Iraq Funding Bill

Withdrawal Not Required in Iraq Funding Bill
By Maya Schenwar
t r u t h o u t | Report

Thursday 15 November 2007

The House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday night that aims for a major withdrawal of troops from Iraq by next December, but that promise rides on the back of a $50 billion check to continue war operations. Moreover, the plan sets December 2008 as a "goal" for redeployment, instead of establishing it as a firm deadline.

"The president asked for $200 billion, some want to give a bridge fund of $50 billion," said Congressman John Lewis, one of the few Democrats who did not vote for the bill. "I'm not for giving 50 billion, 75 billion, 100 billion. There already billions of dollars in the pipeline. That money needs to be directed to ending the war and bringing the troops home."

With $471 billion already in the baseline defense budget - more than enough to fund a withdrawal of all combat troops, according to Congressional Budget Office estimates in September - the extra $50 billion could sustain the administration's steady flow of cash toward war, even as redeployment begins.

"On one hand, the bill is a clear policy statement supporting quicker troop withdrawal," said Jeff Leys, co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence. "On the other hand, it would allow troops to stay in Iraq and continue all the operations they're doing now; there would just be fewer troops doing them."

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http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/111507R.shtml