President Bush vowed Wednesday to veto a congressional timetable for withdrawing U.S. forces from Iraq and criticized Democrats for linking the timetable with funding for the troops.
Faced with potential funding disruptions as early as April 15, Bush stepped up his rhetoric against Democrats for packing a military appropriations bill with not just a timetable for withdrawal, but also unrelated spending on special interests.
“The House and Senate bills have too much pork, too many conditions on our commanders and an artificial timetable for withdrawal,” Bush said in a Washington speech. “If either version comes to my desk, I’m going to veto it.”
The remark drew sustained applause, cheers and even whistles from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.
“My veto would be sustained,” Bush predicted. “Yet Congress continues to pursue these bills, and as they do, the clock is ticking for our troops in the field. Funding for our forces in Iraq will begin to run out in mid-April.”
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid disputed the president’s assertion.
“Why doesn’t he get real with what’s going on with the world?” the Nevada Democrat said. “We’re not holding up funding in Iraq, and he knows that. Why doesn’t he deal with the real issues facing the American people?”
The bills in question each would provide roughly $100 billion for U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, plus another $20 billion or so for pork-barrel projects. Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned last week that a disruption of funds for the military “will have a genuinely adverse effect on the readiness of the Army and the quality of life for soldiers and their families.”
Specifically, if the funds are not appropriated by April 15, Gates said the Pentagon might have to curtail the training of troops, the repairing of equipment and the renovation of barracks. An additional month’s delay, he said, would force soldiers in Iraq to have their tours extended for lack of replacements and might cause the Pentagon to place a freeze on civilian hiring and contracts.
If Bush ends up vetoing the legislation, Congress would have to decide whether to send him a clean funding bill with no timetable for withdrawal. If Democrats don’t pass such legislation, the White House is sure to blame them for shortchanging troops in combat zones.
“If Congress fails to pass a bill to fund our troops on the front lines,” Bush said, “the American people will know who to hold responsible.”
Examiner Staff Writer Rowan Scarborough contributed to this article.
