Bush Urges Congress to Pass Emergency War-Spending Bill

American Forces Press Service ^ | Donna Miles

[SandRat]

WASHINGTON, April 10, 2007 – President Bush today reiterated his call for Congress to pass an Iraq war supplemental appropriations bill and called for a meeting with congressional leaders from both parties to move the process ahead.

Speaking to American Legion Post 177 in Fairfax, Va., the president called for a session next week to work toward a bill that’s not bogged down with pork-barrel projects and “arbitrary deadlines” for a withdrawal from Iraq.

“We can discuss the way forward on … a clean bill … that funds our troops without artificial timetables for withdrawal and without handcuffing our generals on the ground,” he said.

He urged Congress not to use the funding issue to make a political statement that ultimately hurts the troops. “I know we have our differences over the best course in Iraq,” he said. “These differences should not prevent us from getting our troops the funding they need without withdrawal and without giving our commanders flexibility,” he said.

Bush said further delays in passing a bill he can sign will soon put the brakes on military training and equipping and could cause deployed troops to have their tours extended.

“The clock is ticking for our troops in the field,” he said.

Military leaders will be forced to notify Congress in the days ahead that they need to transfer $1.6 billion from other military accounts to cover the funding shortfall. “That means our military will have to take money from personnel accounts so they can continue to fund U.S. Army operations in Iraq and elsewhere,” Bush said.

This transfer comes on the heels of another $1.7 billion transferred last month from money designated for weapons and communications systems and military personnel accounts. Bush said that money had to be redirected so the military could continue funding programs to protect troops from improvised explosive devices and send hundreds of mine-resistant vehicles to front-line troops.

These actions are just the beginning of what’s to come if an emergency-spending bill isn’t passed soon, he said. “And the longer Congress delays,” he continued, “the worse the impact on the men and women of the armed forces will be.”

Bush reminded the group that Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently testified that if Congress doesn’t pass a bill by mid-April, the Army will be forced to consider curtailing other major efforts.

Among programs that could suffer: equipment repair and quality-of-life initiatives for Guard and reserve forces and stateside training for reserve-component units. “This would reduce their readiness and could delay their availability to mobilize for missions in Iraq and Afghanistan,” the president said.

“If Congress fails to pass a bill I can sign by mid-May, the problems grow even more acute,” he said.

The Army will have to consider slowing or even freezing funds for its depots, delaying or curtailing active-force training, and putting the brakes on forming its new brigade combat teams. These measures would have serious consequences for the troops, Bush said. Forces now deployed in Afghanistan or Iraq might need to be extended because other units aren’t ready to take their places.

“The bottom line is this:” Bush said, “Congress’ failure to fund our troops will mean that some of our military families could wait longer for their loves ones to return from the front lines. Others could see their loved ones headed back to war sooner than anticipated.”

That’s unacceptable all around, he said, expressing hope that next week’s meeting with congressional leaders will break the logjam.

“When it comes to funding our troops, we have no time to waste,” he said.

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[SandRat]

I know this has been on all the Media news but was it accurate like this?

[SandRat]

FR WAR NEWS!

WAR News at Home and Abroad You'll Hear Nowhere Else!

All the News the MSM refuses to use!

Or if they do report it, without the anti-War Agenda Spin!

[HaveHadEnough]

I am tired of these supplemental appropriation bills. Just put it in the regular budget and be done with it.

[DocRock]

"These measures would have serious consequences for the troops, Bush said. Forces now deployed in Afghanistan or Iraq might need to be extended because other units aren’t ready to take their places.

“The bottom line is this:” Bush said, “Congress’ failure to fund our troops will mean that some of our military families could wait longer for their loves ones to return from the front lines. Others could see their loved ones headed back to war sooner than anticipated.”

But "sticking it to Bush" is what really matters to this Dem Congress... it was never about the troops.

[WhiteGuy]

Why does the congress continue to approach “war” funding as “emergency” spending?

There’s no emergency.

We’ve been there for 4 years.

Everyone knows that the money is going to be spent........

why not just add it to the defense budget?

Just wondering

[Nephi]

Bush, the globalist, wouldn't be going through this if he had asked the congress to follow the constitution and declare war like they did in WW2:

Congressional Declaration of War on Japan

December 8, 1941

JOINT RESOLUTION Declaring that a state of war exists between the Imperial Government of Japan and the Government and the people of the United States and making provisions to prosecute the same.

Whereas the Imperial Government of Japan has committed unprovoked acts of war against the Government and the people of the United States of America:

Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the state of war between the United States and the Imperial Government of Japan which has thus been thrust upon the United States is hereby formally declared; and the President is hereby authorized and directed to employ the entire naval and military forces of the United States and the resources of the Government to carry on war against the Imperial Government of Japan; and, to bring the conflict to a successful termination, all of the resources of the country are hereby pledged by the Congress of the United States.

Approved, December 8, 1941, 4:10 p.m. E.S.T.

Additionally, the congress has waived it's constitutional right to direct the president on what to accomplish in the "war on terror" since they granted the president "authorization of military force." That would be like granting the president "authorization for military spending" and then bitching about what he spent it on. Could you ever imagine the congress turning over the purse strings the way they have turned over their declaration of war powers?

Congressional Declaration of War on Islamofascists

September 11, 2001

JOINT RESOLUTION Declaring that a state of war exists between the Islamofascists in Afghanistan (and Iraq) and the Government and the people of the United States and making provisions to prosecute the same.

Whereas Islamofascist Afghanistan (and Iraq) has committed unprovoked acts of war against the Government and the people of the United States of America:

Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the state of war between the United States and the Islamofascist Afghanistan (and Iraq) which has thus been thrust upon the United States is hereby formally declared; and the President is hereby authorized and directed to employ the entire naval and military forces of the United States and the resources of the Government to carry on war against the Islamofascists of Afghanistan (and Iraq); and, to bring the conflict to a successful termination, all of the resources of the country are hereby pledged by the Congress of the United States.

[zendari]

Because then they don’t pass a defense budget.

[napscoordinator]

I guess I don’t understand this, but I thought they passed a bill already. Send that one to the President and let him do what he needs to do. Senate passed a bill too. Very strange story.

[WhiteGuy]

Because then they don’t pass a defense budget.

They don’t?

So how do they fund “defense?”

[SandRat]

The two bills didn’t match so the next step is a joint conference committee to thrash things out and once the conference committee agrees that agreed upon bill goes back to each chamber to approve or each chamber amend and then it has to back to conference, and on and on and on until each chamber agrees with the conference bill and both chambers pass it unaltered. Then and only then does it get placed on the President’s desk to formally approve or veto. It it’s vetoed then the whole process starts anew. Convoluted huh?