Army Times: DoD will not run out of money, lawmakers say

DoD will not run out of money, lawmakers say

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Dec 3, 2007 17:24:13 EST

Congress and the White House picked up Monday exactly where they left off before the two-week Thanksgiving break: blaming each other for a dispute over funding for military operations in Iraq.

At issue is a $196 billion Bush administration request to pay for Iraq and Afghanistan operations, including personnel, operations, maintenance and procurement expenses, for the fiscal year that began two months ago, on Oct. 1.

Democrats who control the House and Senate have been trying to use the war-funding bill to force a change in the administration’s Iraq strategy and to start bringing home substantial numbers of U.S. combat troops. That hasn’t worked because Democrats have almost no Republican support and do not have enough votes to overcome a 60-vote procedural hurdle in the Senate that can block passage of any legislation.

President Bush and Pentagon officials are urging Congress to pass the bill with no withdrawal strings, and warn that extra money is needed by mid-December or else the military will have to start serious planning for a variety of drastic budget cuts, including closing some domestic military bases, laying off thousands of federal civilian workers and canceling some contracts.

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http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/12/military_warfunding_071203w/