House to vote on Iraq, Afghanistan war funding

[Ron Burgundy]

AFP - The House of Representatives prepared Thursday to vote on legislation that would free up some 162 billion dollars for US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan over the next several months.

The bill, hammered out by congressional Democrats and Republicans after weeks of partisan haggling, was awaited eagerly by the White House.

"If this is the deal, we're obviously very hopeful," said White House Budget Director Jim Nussle. "It meets the president's requirements of the troops."

Lawmakers said the legislation, which funds the Iraq and Afghanistan wars through June 2009 and which also expands veterans' educational benefits, likely will be approved handily.

"This bill is a real victory," said House Republican Leader John Boehner.

"It gets our troops the funding they need for success, without ham-stringing our commanders in the field with politically motivated war restrictions," he said.

US Senator John McCain, the likely Republican 2008 presidential candidate, hailed the long-awaiting troop funding bill.

"I am pleased an agreement has finally been reached to fund our troops," the Arizona senator said.

"It is unfortunate that for months, the Democrat-controlled Congress has placed partisan politics over essential war funding needs, demonstrating an unconscionable lack of concern for the welfare of our combat troops in the field."

But leftist activists decried that the bill comes to the floor during a Congress run by Democrats who were given a mandate to pull troops out of Iraq when they took control of the US legislature a year and a half ago.

"We're disgusted that behind closed doors, the Democrats and Republicans in Congress have conspired with the White House to keep this war going well into the next administration," said Medea Benjamin of the anti-war Code Pink group.

"This is a complete betrayal of the American people who voted for a new Congress in 2006," she said.

A university student with the same group was also outraged.

"Enough of my friends have sacrificed their futures so that corrupt politicians can profit from their misery," said Jason Ortiz.

"One hundred sixty-five billion more for war?" he exclaimed.

"Congress can't find money for decent education, or healthcare for children, yet they continue to pump hundreds of billions of our money into their death machine," said Ortiz. "It's disgusting!"

White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said in a statement that the funding will help the president meet his obligation to members of the armed forces on the battlefield and their loved ones back home.

"President Bush understands that military families throughout our country are making great sacrifices as their loved ones serve at home and abroad," the spokeswoman said, praising the supplemental war funding that will "deliver critical support to our men and women in uniform."

She said he was particularly pleased with the education funding, which now also will extend to military families in some cases.

"The president is pleased that Congress answered his call to ensure that military families will soon be able to transfer their unused education benefits to their spouse or children," she said, adding that Bush strongly urges the House and Senate to pass the bill.

source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080619/pl_afp/uscongressiraqbudget [link]