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Dems aim to outmaneuver Bush by combining spending bills |
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By Mike Soraghan
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Posted: 11/01/07 07:48 PM [ET] |
Democrats moved Wednesday to combine three spending bills in an effort to prevent President Bush from vetoing the Labor-Health and Human Services bill, or to pave the way for a veto override.
In response, Republicans charged that Democrats are “holding the troops hostage” to political maneuvering.
The actions represent initial skirmishes in a spending fight between Bush and congressional Democrats likely to dominate Congress the rest of the year.
House leaders are combining the controversial so-called “Labor-H” bill with the defense spending bill and military construction bill, which includes veterans’ funding. Bush has threatened to veto the Labor-H bill, but not defense or veterans’ funding.
“That would be tough to veto,” said Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.), a member of the House Appropriations Committee. “The president’s priority is two of the three bills. Our priority is all three of the bills. If we tie them together, some might think the president might do the responsible thing.”
But Rep. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) warned that the president will veto such a combined package, delaying funding for troops and veterans.
“Holding the troops hostage in a time of war is something we’ve never done,” said House Armed Services Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.).
House Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) questioned Republicans’ dire predictions of delay, noting that after Republicans lost last year’s elections, they decided not to even pass a military construction bill for the year.
“I’d like to know where that same concern was last year,” Obey said. “I will take a backseat to no one on taking care of our veterans. But we’re going to treat veterans as a whole person.”
Obey noted that Republicans sent 27 combined appropriations bills to Bush, who signed all of them.
“Now because one is coming from the Democratic Party, he wants to make a federal case out of it,” Obey said. “We are proceeding the way we are proceeding because we are playing off the president.”
Democratic aides are touting the Water Resources Development Act in the growing spending fight. President Bush has threatened a veto, but the water bill has veto-proof support in Congress.
If Bush vetoes it, he would face his first veto override. If he signs it, he’d be giving Democrats an initial victory in the spending fight. But he could also let the bill quietly become law on Nov. 4. |
