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Politics

Despite hype, war fund not running dry soon

By WES ALLISON
Published April 25, 2007

WASHINGTON - To hear the Republicans tell it, every day Congress fails to send President Bush the "clean" war-funding bill he demands is another day that Democrats are endangering U.S. troops in Iraq.

But the reality is not so pat. While the standoff has forced the Pentagon to shift money and postpone maintenance, the delay should not affect operations in Iraq or Afghanistan through June, according to experts in defense funding and government documents.

In fact, the effect of the standoff on troops in the war zones now is nil.

"It puts pressure on things ... but nobody is running out of bullets tomorrow," said Keith Crane, an economist at the nonpartisan Rand Corp. "I wouldn't see it as dire."

This week, House and Senate negotiators agreed on a $124-billion war spending bill that sets a "goal" of withdrawing most U.S. forces from Iraq by April 1, 2008. The House is expected to pass it today, with a Senate vote expected Thursday.

The bill requires most U.S. combat troops to be withdrawn from Iraq within a year, or earlier if the Iraqi government fails to meet certain benchmarks for security and political progress.

Crane, an expert in defense funding who served as an adviser to the Iraq Study Group, said the standoff does create inefficiencies and "you may even have to stop some activities to make sure you have some funds for Iraq that might not be available."

"The president is right, at some time or another you need to appropriate the money, or you do run out of cash," Crane said. "But they've got quite a lot of time."

In near-daily missives, the White House and GOP congressional leaders say Democrats are playing politics at the expense of American troops.

"Every day we don't fund our troops is a day their ability to fight this war is weakened," the top nine congressional Republicans wrote House Speaker Nancy Pelosi recently.

But in a memo sent last week to congressional budget officials, the Army acknowledged it has enough money to fight the war through June, though it has begun to "slow the purchase of repair parts and other supplies, relying instead on existing inventory to keep equipment operational."

The Pentagon was planning to move $1.6-billion from Navy and Air Force accounts to the Army, the memo said. If Congress doesn't send the money by next month, the Army will take "more restrictive actions," including a freeze on hiring civilians, releasing temporary employees, and suspending some contracts for "training events and facilities."

A report by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, which provides data and analysis to Congress, also found that the military has sufficient funds to last through June.

The military can shift money from less pressing concerns into accounts used for military operations, the report said. When the money does arrive, the Pentagon can then backfill the accounts it tapped.

"At some point do you run dry? Yes. But not yet," said Harvard professor John White, the deputy defense secretary from 1995 to 1997 under President Bill Clinton. "The rhetoric from the administration is ... political posturing."

The refusal by Bush and Republican congressional leaders to consider a timetable for pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq is not popular, polls show. Wary of arguing for an open-ended commitment of American blood and money, Republicans have taken a two-track approach in their battle over the spending bill:

First, that Congress should not restrict the commander-in-chief's power to wage war. And second, that the spending bill should not be about bringing U.S. troops home, but about supporting those who are there.

"Instead of fashioning a bill I could sign, the Democratic leaders chose to further delay funding our troops, and they chose to make a political statement," President Bush said Tuesday. "That's their right. But it is wrong for our troops and it's wrong for our country."

In response to the president's comments Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Bush was in "a dangerous state of denial."

Reid called Iraq a "failed policy that has our troops mired in an open-ended civil war" and said the Democratic-led spending bill to be considered by Congress this week offers a responsible time frame for redeploying U.S. troops. It is modeled loosely on the recommendations of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group.

The bill includes about $95.5-billion for the military and the rest for unrelated expenses, including hurricane recovery and drought relief, designed to draw votes. The House and Senate both are expected to pass it narrowly, with hopes of sending it to Bush by Monday.

If the president vetoes it, Congress must try again. That will mean further compromise, and more time. Congressional leaders hope to have another version ready in the next two weeks.

"Our troops need this funding now, and to make them wait ... is reckless and irresponsible," said House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio.

Each day, Republicans point out how many days have passed since the president asked Congress for the war money. Today, it is 79.

But last spring, when Republicans were in charge and Boehner was majority leader, the war supplemental didn't exactly fly through: 115 days elapsed from the date the president requested it to June 15, when he signed it.

Wes Allison can be reached at allison@sptimes.com or 202 463-0577.

Fast Facts:

Highlights of war-funds bill before Congress

The House and Senate are expected to vote this week on a compromise $124-billion spending bill for the military and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, including about $20-billion for hurricane recovery, drought relief and homeland security. The president has promised to veto it. Here are some key provisions.

Troop withdrawal: Redeployment of U.S. forces to begin by Oct. 1, with a "goal" of having most troops out of Iraq by April 1. Withdrawal would start by July 1 if the Iraqi government fails to meet several military and political benchmarks.

Troop readiness: Funds cannot be used to deploy military units that don't meet the Pentagon's definition of "fully mission capable, or who have not had adequate rest between tours of duty. The president can waive these restrictions.

Veterans: $1.8-billion for veterans' health care, including money for brain injury treatment and research and $20-million to repair Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington.

Hurricane recovery: $6.9-billion for continued recovery on the Gulf Coast, twice what the president requested.

Minimum wage: Raises the federal minimum wage to $7.25 per hour over two years, and provides $4.9-million in tax breaks for small businesses to help offset the costs.

Homeland security: $2.2-billion for border and transportation security, including screening for ship and aircraft cargo.

Source: House, Senate appropriations committees; Congressional Quarterly

FAST FACTS

Other developments

Iraq

- Eighty-three Iraqis were killed or found dead around the country Tuesday.

- The U.S. military announced an 11th troop death from Monday: A Marine died in Anbar province.

- British forces transferred another military base to Iraqi troops in Basra, ahead of a planned withdrawal this summer of about half of Britain's forces.

- Kuwait is balking at forgiving Iraq's $15-billion debt, aides to the Iraqi prime minister said Tuesday.

Afghanistan

- Afghan and international forces clashed with Taliban insurgents in two separate gunbattles in the south and west leaving 13 militants dead, officials said Tuesday.

- Canada will not stop handing over Taliban prisoners captured by Canadian troops to Afghan police despite allegations of abuse in Afghan custody, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Tuesday. Harper said Monday that Canada would investigate, but on Tuesday he said the allegations should not be accepted at face value.

Washington

- Vice President Dick Cheney accused Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., on Tuesday of pursuing a defeatist strategy in Iraq to win votes at home. Reid dismissed the comment as President Bush's "attack dog" lashing out.

- The Air Force's top officer, Gen. Michael Moseley, said Tuesday that the Pentagon's bolstering of its ground forces in Baghdad by borrowing money and people from its sister services is further straining a tightly stretched Air Force. He said 20,000 airmen have been assigned to roles outside their specialties.

[Last modified April 25, 2007, 01:41:24]