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Week Ending May 25, 2006

 

H.R.2206 Making emergency supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2007, and for other purposes.

 

The bill, a response to the President’s veto of HR 1591, parallels that bill and provides “immediate funding needs” procurement needs and operations of the Armed Forces including defense-wide healthcare needs, research and development, with the exception that the President must report to Congress by July13, 2007 on Iraq’s progress with several benchmarks required to be met in order to sustain US involvement or cause a withdrawal. After the President’s report the House will vote on releasing the other half of the funds, approximately $45 billion.  The second installment would be released or not based on monthly and other reports from the President on Iraq's progress meeting the benchmarks. Congress will then vote to release the funds or not and an amendment is made in order that, if passed, would require that troops be redeployed from Iraq in 180 days. To remain would be personnel and diplomatic corps security and troops who will continue to seek out terrorists in country.

 

The bill passed the Senate but with all content removed and a statement of support for the troops was inserted. The House received the bill and after negotiations with the White House and the Minority in Congress agreed to remove the timetable provisions. The bill would now fund the war through September 20, 2007. The House divided the question on the bill and held votes on the war-related elements of the bill and a separate vote on the non-war elements of the bill (Disaster, agriculture relief, children's health, Homeland Security and veteran needs)

 

An addition to the bill provides Gloria W. Norwood, widow of Charles W. Norwood, Jr., late a Representative from the State of Georgia, $165,200 and payment to James McDonald, Jr., widower of Juanita Millender-McDonald, late a Representative from the State of California, $165,200.

 

The bill also contains most of the additional funding from HR 1591 including child health spending for state programs, Katrina disaster relief, flu fighting, minimum wage and tax relief (for small business) language and prohibits the closing of Walter Reed hospital in Washington, D.C..

 

Provisions regarding wildfire suppression, aid to rural schools, agricultural disaster relief and protecting the Pacific Salmon are sequestered to another bill, HR 2207.

 

A motion to recommit the bill with instructions was offered but was defeated. The motion would remove the bill's provision that authorizes only the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee to introduce a bill that releases the funds remaining after this bill releases the first half of the funding.

 

The Appropriation Committee report on the bill can be read below…

 

Sponsor:  Rep. David Obey (D-WI-7^th)

Vote: The bill passed 221 to 205 May 10, 2007 (RC 333 ). The motion to recommit the bill failed 185 to 229 (RC 332).A motion was made to invoke cloture on the Reid amendment and succeeded  94 to 1 (RV 171). The Senate then agreed to the bill by voice vote may 17, 2007.

The final vote on this bill is on the bill without the withdrawal timelines. The House amended the bill with two resolutions. One agreeing with the war-related amendment 348 to 73 May 23, 2007 RC 424. The second amendment Agreed to 280 to 142 the non-war spending RC 425.

The Senate agreed to the House amendments 80 to 14 (RV 181) may 24, 2007.

Cost to the taxpayers: The bill provides about $95 billion.

Earmark Certification:   The determination that this bill contains no earmarks was disputed

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MORE INFORMATION

 

FROM THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

 

Key Defense Language

                        • The bill fences $52.8 billion of the $95.5 billion provided to the Department of Defense until released by subsequent legislation:

 

REPORT: The bill includes benchmarks similar to those proposed by the President and included in the vetoed bill, and requires the President to report to Congress by July 13 on progress in meeting those benchmarks.  

 

The President must report progress by the Government of Iraq in:

                        • Giving United States Armed Forces and Iraqi Security Forces the authority to pursue all extremists, including Sunni insurgents and Shiite militias;

                        • delivering necessary Iraqi Security Forces for Baghdad and protecting such Forces from political interference;

                        • intensifying efforts to build balanced security forces throughout Iraq that provide even-handed security for all Iraqis;

                        • ensuring that Iraq’s political authorities are not undermining or making false accusations against members of the Iraqi Security Forces;

                        • eliminating militia control of local security;

                        • establishing a strong militia disarmament program;

                        • ensuring fair and just enforcement of laws;

                        • establishing political, media, economic, and service committees in support of the Baghdad Security Plan;

                        • eradicating safe havens;

                        • reducing the level of sectarian violence in Iraq;

                        • and ensuring the rights of minority political parties in the Iraqi Parliament are protected.

 

He must also report on whether specified goals actually have been accomplished by the Government of Iraq, including:

                        • Enacting a broadly accepted hydro-carbon law that equitably shares oil revenues among all Iraqis;

                        • adopting legislation necessary for the conduct of provincial and local elections, taking steps to implement such legislation, and setting a schedule to conduct provincial and local elections;

                        • reforming current laws governing the de-Baathification process to allow for more equitable treatment of individuals affected by such laws;

                        • amending the Constitution of Iraq consistent with the principles contained in Article 137 of such constitution;

                        • and allocating and beginning expenditure of $10 billion in Iraqi revenues for reconstruction projects, including delivery of essential services, on an equitable basis

 

VOTE: After receiving the reports in July, both the House and Senate would vote on whether to release the remaining Defense funds. Expedited procedures are written into this bill to ensure that the subsequent vote takes place in both Houses by the end of July. These expedited procedures would be considered on the House floor in July in conjunction with the FY 2008 Defense appropriations bill.

 

Those procedures would also guarantee a vote in the House on an amendment to provide that defense funding related to Iraq could only be used to plan and execute the redeployment of troops within 180 days of enactment. The only exceptions to this troop redeployment would be for troops protecting American diplomatic facilities and American citizens, including members of the U.S. armed forces; serving in roles consistent with customary diplomatic positions; engaging in targeted special actions limited in duration and scope to killing or capturing