A formal House-Senate conference committee on the war spending bill will convene April 23 at 4:30 p.m., Democratic appropriators said today.

Though details of the final measure (HR 1591) have not been finalized, on the main point of contention — a deadline for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq — the conference report is expected to include language similar to the Senate’s nonbinding goal for withdrawal.

Democrats are eager to move the bill to President Bush next week, amid GOP criticism that the delay in completing the measure is hurting the troops in Iraq. Bush repeatedly has vowed to veto the measure if it contains war restrictions.

The Senate and House bills both exceeded $123 billion and the final measure is expected to include spending in that range. Yet some items that have drawn the derision of Republicans — such as funds for peanut storage — may be cut from the final measure. Rep. Jack Kingston of Georgia, the ranking Republican of the Agriculture Appropriations Committee, did not know details of the agriculture portion, but said his staff had started meeting Thursday with majority staff.

The House-passed war spending measure would require troops to withdraw from Iraq by the end of August 2008, while the Senate measure sets a goal of withdrawing troops by the end of March 2008.