War spending bill going to White House next week

With the passage of the $124 billion supplemental spending bill in the House and the Senate, the Democratic-controlled Congress will be serving up its first piece of legislation strictly defying President Bush and set the stage for a veto some time next week.

The Senate gave final passage to the bill this afternoon, 51 to 46, along near-party lines. Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) voted with the Republicans against the bill.

The final bill provides close to $100 billion in Iraq war funds that are tied to a timeline for withdrawal of combat troops next year. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) won't send the spending package to the White House until early next week, according to House and Senate aides. That means the "enrollment ceremony", where congressional leaders sign the bill and send it to the White House, will be put off until possibly Tuesday or Wednesday.

Such signings are usually pro forma and are done with little fanfare. However, because this is such an important moment in the relations between the new Congress and President Bush, Pelosi and Reid could bring in the TV cameras to turn it into a high-profile photo opportunity if they so choose. Or the bill could be privately signed by Pelosi and the president pro tempore of the Senate, Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W. Va.), and then shipped to Bush. Either way, as Capitol Briefing noted earlier this month, this sets up a veto from Bush likely to come in the middle of next week, Friday at the latest.

Last night, the House gave final approval to the compromise measure worked out with the Senate, 218 to 208, which was almost identical to last month's vote margin when the House passed its own version of the legislation. Again, Pelosi demonstrated her skill in threading the needle between conservatives in her caucus who who have strong reservations about imposing a deadline and the anti-war liberals who adamantly refuse to vote for any war funds even if they're tied to a withdrawal date.

In passing the bill last month, Pelosi lost 15 Democrats: seven moderate conservatives who voted "nay", seven liberals who voted "nay" and another liberal -- Rep. Fortney "Pete" Stark (D-Calif.) -- who voted present.

This time around, Pelosi got the exact same number of votes, 218, losing 14 of the same 15 Democrats she lost last month. Rep. Diane Watson (D-Calif.), who opposed the supplemental last month, joined Pelosi this time around. [A couple more "aye" votes would have pushed the total up to 220 but some Democrats were not present for health reasons.]

On the Republican side, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) lost just three votes: Reps. Walter Jones (N.C.) and Wayne Gilchrest (Md.), who voted with Pelosi last night and last month on the supplemental, and Rep. JoAnne Emerson (R-Mo.), who voted "present". Democratic aides were crowing about Emerson's present vote as a small sign of future defections from the GOP.

Check back later this afternoon for a breakdown of the Senate's final vote on the supplemental. For now, here's an ideological breakdown of the 13 Democrats who opposed the supplemental:

MODERATE-CONSERVATIVES:

John Barrow (Ga.)
Dan Boren (Okla)
Lincoln Davis (Tenn.)
Jim Marshall (Ga.)
Jim Matheson (Utah)
Michael Michaud (Maine)
Gene Taylor (Miss.)

ANTI-WAR LIBERALS:

Dennis Kucinich (Ohio)
Barbara Lee (Calif.)
John Lewis (Ga.)
McNulty (N.Y.)
Maxine Waters (Calif.)
Lynn Woolsey (Calif.)

Comments

President Bush you need to go ahead and pass the bill, or get your friends-ATT,Blackplanet,BellSouth,Microsoft,Yahoo,Excite,Websense Enterprisesand MyWay Computer Security Firms,your IT Hubs to help you with whatever the House and the Senate did not give you, and also get the money that the Katrina victims of Loiusiana and Mississippi did not get., yes take that money and get the reseach money that Dr.Murray Raskind used to Brain Fingerprint me with, while he used the Prasozin in my blood stream, and the radiotracers to follow me here!

Posted by: Janair Williams Sr. | April 30, 2007 6:31 PM | Report abuse

See? Saturday, you people would not let me print what I wrote, which is some of what I just wrote just now., they could not stop this., and I told them, what are you going to do monday when I write it again? and I did try yesterday, but I could not print it out like I did saturday, because I was at MLK yesterday, whereas, Saturday, I was right here at the Library of Congress. and I made copies from saturday to prove it!!! Just to show you how above the law your people think they are.Janair Williams Sr.

Posted by: Janair Williams Sr. | April 30, 2007 6:37 PM | Report abuse

Rather than care about the troops and getting them the equipment, material and services they need, Congress, knowing for months a veto is coming would rather grandstand. Okay, great. Waste more time, and in a few months pass another bill w/o the timeline and $$$$billions of pork in it. Stupid is as stupid does.

Posted by: lorddunsmore | May 1, 2007 2:00 PM | Report abuse

I oppose the war and support current Congressional efforts to defund it. I also support forcing the president's hand by making him veto a war funding bill that also contains time limits on stationing troops in Iraq. I support it if for no other reason than he should again have to explain what we are doing there and why we are doing it? Maybe this time we can get more than cliches and sound bites.

Posted by: D. Betts | May 1, 2007 3:30 PM | Report abuse

I suppose you'll never see this four days later, but Mike Michaud, despite being a moderate generally, opposed this particular bill from the left.

As you reported yourself in this space: one month ago.

Posted by: texas dem | May 3, 2007 6:12 PM | Report abuse

How on Earth can the people in D.C. look the other way. Well, I for one think it has to do with "greedy" "self-centered" nincompoops with only one thing in mind.....put this Country under "red" rule.
Peanuts........what in the hell did that have to do with our troops?
Raising wages in D. C......what did that have with keeping the United States of America...free?
"We the people" need to come into that town with a giant broom and swipe everyone out to sea.............the place is getting to be the laughing Capital of the World and in the end.......our "troops" are going to be the ones to pay!
Money! how in the he!! can people there say....give me...give me...give me...more when it comes to all the dang pork.
You people are there because "we the people" put you there...not because you did it on your own......so! do your dang job and quit all this self-centered sh!! from both sides............you have a Country to run....not a Country to ignore.
I am fed up with all the crap and if most of you would get off your lazy a!! and talk to the "we the people" that "put" you there.......they would tell you the same. This Country needs a transfusion of "Under God", "In God We Trusts", "I Love My Country" "Freedom For All" with a bushel basket full of "Don't Mess With America"!
Please.....you people need to quit looking at the "end" of your "nose"...and begin to look at the big picture than maybe you'll can shove that greedy crap to the side and put America back in grace where the people of this World will give her respect that she had from the years of the past.
The dang election is a year away.......keeping our troops,citizens and this Country safe ...........is now! People do your dang job and the security of this great Union will bloom from sea to sea.
The name "Washington" will never come back to D. C. until the people there wakeup to "this ain't no free pick nick" but can turn into "no freedom down the road" if the people in D.C. don't serve "we the people" that put them there.

Posted by: madmilker | May 3, 2007 6:57 PM | Report abuse

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