Iraq War Funding Bill Goes to President
Despite Sens. Clinton’s and Obama’s opposition an Iraq War funding bill passed Congress and will be signed by President Bush. Arguing over the war moves to September when a new funding bill will be debated while seeing how much effect Gen. Petraeus’ has had in Baghdad.
Don Surber points out the funding bill got more votes in the Senate than the war resolution.
No hard deadlines are in the funding bill but it isn’t clean:
The final bill includes $17 billion in unrelated domestic spending, a slight reduction from the $21 billion that Congress added to the first package. The minimum-wage increase would bump the hourly rate to $7.25 an hour from the current rate of $5.15 over the next two years. The wage increase was one of the Democrats’ 2006 election promises, and was attached to the war bill to guarantee that it would reach Bush’s desk.
The AP reports dairy farmers got an extention of the MILC subsidy program, American and Continental received permission to reduce pension contributions, and salmon farmers got aid for reduced catches from the Klamath River.
Even with the pork President Bush said he will sign the bill. Both the White House and the Democratic Congress are exhausted over this debate. They’re taking what they can and preparing for another showdown in September.
“Congress Passes Deadline-Free War Funding Bill” [via memeorandum]





Even with the pork President Bush said he will sign the bill.
Why wouldn’t he? It’s half the pork of the Republican bills he signed.