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Democrats prep for fight on 2008 war funding

A senior House Democrat leader vowed Tuesday to provide only limited funds to continue U.S. military operations in Iraq this fiscal year, hoping that incremental funding for a few months at a time will help force a change in U.S. strategy.

Under the new plan, the $189 billion for wartime funding requested by the Pentagon for the fiscal year that began Monday would not be approved as a single bill, but rather doled out one or two months at a time until at least next spring, when the Bush administration has promised another assessment of its current Iraq strategy.

Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., the House Appropriations Committee chairman who unveiled the plan, said he has “no intention” of passing an Iraq funding bill through his committee “that simply served to continue the status quo.”

The announcement comes as the White House is still preparing its full 2008 war spending request. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said last week that the White House would be asking for $42 billion on top of previous requests for this fiscal year that total more than $147 billion. A detailed request for the extra $42 billion has not been submitted to Congress, a fact that prevents the administration from blaming lawmakers for holding up funding.

But, Obey made clear he has no plans on approving the full request unless it is part of a plan that does three things: Lays out a goal of ending U.S. combat operations in Iraq by January 2009; offers a strategy for getting other countries in the region involved in diplomatic efforts to try to resolve the situation in Iraq; and provides adequate time at home for U.S. troops between combat rotations.

Obey said he had “no intention of acquiescing in a policy that will result in draining the treasury so dry that it will result in the systematic disinvestment of America’s future,” he said.

There is a second purpose to Obey’s ploy — the White House has threatened vetoes of eight of the 12 appropriations bills needed to keep the government running unless Congress cuts about $22 billion in spending. The delay allows Democrats to hold the war funding bill hostage while also pointing out that the administration is planning to spent $10 billion a month in Iraq this fiscal year while opposing any increases in domestic spending.

“If the president really is concerned about stopping red ink, we are prepared to introduce legislation which will provide for a war surtax for that portion of military costs that are related to our military actions in Iraq,” Obey said.

Democrats tried last year, when Republicans controlled Congress, to propose tax increases on the wealthy to help pay for the war, but never came close to gathering the votes needed for passage. Obey said he is not sure such a plan would pass the House today, even with Democrats in charge, but he believes it is worth trying.

“If this war is important enough to fight, then it ought to be important enough to pay for,” he said.

Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., Obey’s Senate counterpart, has been less specific about his plans for handling the war funding request, but has made clear that he also opposes approving the administration’s full request.