Republicans join with Democrats to block war spending bill in House

Chicago Tribune

WASHINGTON — In a surprising move to rebuke the Democratic leadership, House Republicans on Thursday found themselves allying with anti-war Democrats as they blocked a $163 billion spending bill to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The bill was defeated 149-141 after 132 Republicans voted “present” on the spending bill that would have funded the two wars into 2009. Republicans said they opposed the legislation because the Democratic leaders didn’t allow them the opportunity to offer alternative legislation.

The present votes could be seen as more of a response to the Democratic leadership’s attempts to gain concessions from the Bush administration than an alliance with Democrats pushing for a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq.

House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, accused the Democratic leadership of “playing political games” for stacking the war spending bill with funding for domestic programs, an overhaul of veterans education benefits and a requirement that President Bush start bringing home troops within 30 days of the legislation becoming law.

“The games that were being played today were designed to draw a veto, which was going to delay funding for the troops,” Boehner said. “The sooner we blew up this process, the sooner we can get a clean troop funding bill to the president’s desk that he’ll sign. So, actually, we think we can speed this process up by exposing the cynicism that was brought to the floor today.”

The Democratic leadership split the measure into three parts, which allowed the anti-war members of their party to vote against further war spending but still vote in favor of the overhaul of the GI Bill and a provision that calls for Bush to begin bringing home troops from Iraq within 30 days of it becoming law.

By approving the sharp boost in educational benefits for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans on a 256-166 vote, the House pushed forward legislation that will allow Democrats to directly question Bush’s commitment to veterans of the two wars. Thirty-two Republicans supported the bill.

The Pentagon has expressed concerns that the proposal could hurt the military’s retention rate and also has called for legislation that would allow for transferability of the entitlement to a family member.

The proposed overhaul of the GI Bill, which would cost about $52 billion over the next 10 years, would be paid for with a 0.5 percent surtax on individuals making more than $500,000 a year and couples making more than $1 million.

Although Democrats failed to achieve the two-thirds majority needed for the GI Bill to overcome a likely Bush veto, veterans groups applauded the House passage.

“The GI Bill has become an unstoppable force,” said Paul Rieckhoff, director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, who urged the Senate and Bush to get behind the legislation. “We have seen incredible support from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, but the fight is not over yet.”