April 25, 2007 – 5:47 a.m.
The House this evening is expected to vote on the conference agreement on the fiscal 2007 war spending bill.
Democratic leaders believe they will have the votes to pass the $124.2 billion measure, although it probably will be tight. The measure (
President Bush yesterday again said he will veto the measure because it includes timelines for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and “handcuffs our [military] commanders.” Acknowledging the 2006 election results and public displeasure with the war, he said, “the American people said they were frustrated and wanted a change in our strategy in Iraq. I listened. Today, General David Petraeus is carrying out a strategy that is dramatically different from our previous course. The American people did not vote for failure, and that is precisely what the Democratic leadership’s bill would guarantee.” Visiting the Hill, Vice President Cheney took Senate Majority Leader Reid to task for recent comments, while Reid said Bush “apparently remains in a dangerous state of denial.”
Conferees included a one-month extension of the Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) program, which if enacted would make the program part of the budget baseline when Congress reauthorizes the farm bill. Negotiators also included a one-year fix to continue “county payments” to Western states under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act. But they dropped various items criticized by President Bush, such as funding for spinach growers and peanut storage. They also eliminated $100 million that had been included in the Senate bill for security at the 2008 Democratic and Republican presidential conventions, as well as Senate language to penalize companies found hiring illegal immigrants.
Chairman Oberstar is unhappy the measure would cancel some highway funding in order to help fund repairs to storm-damaged roads. The final agreement rescinds $683 million in highway contract authority that had been apportioned to states, offseting an equal amount in new funding for the Federal Highway Administration’s Emergency Relief program. Oberstar strongly objected to the maneuver, writing on Monday that such rescissions are “the exclusive jurisdiction” of his authorization panel. He also argued no offset was needed because the new money is designated as emergency funding. But a Senate Appropriations aide said, “We were under pressure to keep the overall size of the bill down, and therefore we offset this provision.” Conferees nearly doubled the rescission and new funding originally included in the Senate bill.