GOP Slams Dems On War Bill

GOP Slams Dems On War Bill

By Colin Clark Thursday, July 1st, 2010 5:58 pm
Posted in International, Policy

As the House of Representatives moves to vote on the supplemental war spending bill which has moved with leaden speed through Democratic hands, the GOP has come out swinging, accusing the majority of “taking dangerous political potshots at our troops’ mission and the president’s strategy.”

Rep. David Obey, outgoing chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, has made clear his unease with the war supplemental bill.

Some of Obey’s Democratic colleagues have submitted amendments to the supplemental bill which led Rep. Buck McKeon, top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, to claim any of the amendments “would cripple the President’s strategy for Afghanistan.”


“Not only would they tie the President’s hands, but they send the exact wrong message to our allies and enemies alike at such a critical moment in our efforts in Afghanistan,” McKeon said in a statement. “Today our newly-confirmed Commander [Gen. David Petraeus] walked the halls at NATO headquarters, to reassure our allies of our country’s commitment to this war. And right now he is heading to Afghanistan to take command of this crucial war. We should stand in unity with him. Yet, we might actually line up and take vote after vote to strip funding from our warfighters before his plane even touches down in Kabul,” concluded McKeon.

Here is a summary by McKeon’s office of the amendments:

Amendment #3: This amendment, offered by an unknown Member of Congress at this point, would strip all military funding from the Senate’s troop funding bill. Amendment #3 would defund all military operations.

Amendment #4: This amendment, offered by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) would only fund the withdrawal of U.S. troops or troop protection (although it does allow for diplomatic and humanitarian activities). Amendment #4 would defund combat operations in Afghanistan and effectively force the immediate withdrawal of U.S. military forces.

Amendment #5: This amendment, offered by Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) and Rep. David Obey (D-Minn.), requires and dictates what should be included in a new National Intelligence Estimate on Afghanistan; requires the President to submit a timetable for withdrawal; requires an Inspector General report on contactors in Afghanistan; and limits any defense appropriations from Fiscal Year 2011 to solely implement an orderly withdrawal from Afghanistan. Amendment #5 would effectively cut off funding for U.S. troops in Afghanistan by ensuring no Fiscal Year 2011 Department of Defense funding could not be transferred or reprogrammed to fund military operations in Afghanistan.

Join the Conversation

Oblat July 1st, 2010 at 11:37 pm

Unless the house pulls it’s finger out, the major Afghan export industry will be devastated.

Afghanistan is on of the worlds largest exporters of crisp US$ bills and it’s a growth industry. So far almost 30% of afghan yearly GDP i.e. $3 billion in cash has been declared at the airport and shipped out of the country.

@7thwave July 2nd, 2010 at 1:11 am

One more reason why I think the United States government needs to be removed fro power, forcefully, ala-civil war action. As demonstrated by Amendments sent up for vote at light fast speed, congress, the senate,and the executive branch neither cares for the people of this country, or the people who defend it. We have people like Pelosi, Levin, Barbra Lee, and others who will willingly send to their deaths our men and women who defend this country with their lives on the line every day. They do not care about soldiers dying because of their idiotic actions, they only care about getting elected,staying in office and committing acts of treason by hosting back door deals with our enemies and killing innocent citizens…just so they can stay in office. I thought I would never see the day where I would turn against the country I helped to defend once upon a time, but with foolish Amendments like these fools like to slip in under bills that either change policy and current laws removing citizens rights guaranteed under the constitution, or sell out our economic base by providing trillions in bank bailouts that were never needed, OR bailing out Detroit auto makers so they can ship jobs over seas. But god forbid when you send soldiers off to war to defend this country because we asked them too…it will ruffle governments bed fellows the Chinese and Russians…two enemy governments that are major world players in an adversarial role in our international interests. We cannot defend our borders,but yet we can give money away to China and Syria so they can buy weapons that are used against our armed forces. I could go on and on…I once thought our country was the greatest country in the world…but now I see deceit, betrayal, scandals, and needless deaths caused by our DE_MOCK_RACY…our governments needs to fall.

@7thwave July 2nd, 2010 at 1:16 am

If congress really wanted to serve the people that gave these idiots power in the first place, they would fund our war so we can keep AQ over there,and not over here killing innocents they would secure our borders, and they would quit the back door deals with the Russians and the Chinese..and strat to see we need to defend whats in our best interests…the safety and well being of the people of this country.

operation7thwave July 2nd, 2010 at 1:36 am

I apologize and retract above statements…I just get highly cheezed off when I see stupid crap like this introduced into defense bills which fund operations and help provide the tools our soldiers need to survive and do their jobs.

William C. July 2nd, 2010 at 3:29 am

What are you talking about? The only real exports from Afghanistan are drugs and terrorists.

Jeffersoniangal July 2nd, 2010 at 4:31 am

BOHICA

pennst98 July 2nd, 2010 at 2:19 pm

While I too dislike politricks, many members of the Congress and Senate want out of Afghanistan. (rightfully so) One of the only ways to do that is to stop funding what appears to be an endless war. (now America’s longest) While I too find their methods objectionable, no one is suggesting witholding equipment/ammo or pay. THE REAL DEBATE is conflating DEFENSE SPENDING with WAR SPENDING.

The DoD spends a Trillion dollars + (including black/nuke) on Defense Spending and only $100-150B or so is War Spending. The rest (outside O&M) is all discretionarey. (some important, most not) This move essentially says to the President/DoD “if you want this war so bad, you can fund it out of your base budget.” Or you can have a war, or you can have “modernization/development”, you can’t have both.

RSF July 2nd, 2010 at 2:39 pm

Perfect!

@7thwave July 2nd, 2010 at 5:36 pm

But when you take and play politics with anything during a war,you actually destroy morale, contribute to strengthening enemy resolve, and killing the very troops we want to cry about pulling out. We are in Afghanistan for the long haul. We need to support the troops who are there fighting that war because not only we asked them too, but because we are there as a result of a enemy attack on our soil.

Dan July 8th, 2010 at 11:30 am

Where were they 9 years ago when bush and chaney were lying to them! Sitting in the back like the cowards they are. Idiot republican politicians. Not liberal or conservative, just greedy and power hungry. True narcisist and sociopaths.

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