Making good on a promise to keep proposing anti-war legislation, House Democrats on Thursday pushed through a bill that would guarantee that troops in Iraq can spend as much time at home as they have spent in the war zone before being sent back to the country for another tour.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Ellen O. Tauscher, D-Calif., mirrors language in an amendment that Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., unsuccessfully tried to get the Senate to pass last month.
Despite that failure, the provision could wind up on the president’s desk. House and Senate leaders are discussing a plan to include it in the 2008 Defense Department authorization legislation, a House Democratic leadership aide said. That would eliminate the need for a separate Senate vote.
“We are hopeful it will be revived,” Webb spokeswoman Kimberly Hunter said. “House passage shows there is bipartisan support for this.”
House Democrats pitched the bill as a remedy for troops who are war-weary from too much time in combat and as a way to ensure enough time for adequate training. Some anti-war advocates view the measure as a backdoor way to end the war by essentially preventing the Pentagon from sending more troops into Iraq to replace military personnel whose tours have ended.
“We have a moral responsibility to our troops to ensure that their quality of life is reflected in the sacrifices they are asked to make,” said bill proponent Ike Skelton, D-Mo., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.
The bill, which passed 229-194 with six Republicans voting in favor, allows the president to waive the provision under certain conditions. Even so, Republicans view it as potentially dangerous micromanagement.
The ranking Republican on the panel, Rep. Duncan Hunter, of California, said the bill would lead to extending unit deployments and creating provisional units to fill the roles of more specialized forces.
“That means quickie training and moving people immediately into the battlefield that otherwise could be filled by those with a deep specialty in that capability,” Hunter said. “This is a well-meaning bill, but if you ask the question does it help the troops or hurt the troops, this bill hurts the troops.”
Taucher said the current redeployment program is damaging the readiness of the troops and that her bill “in no way, shape or form hinders the commander in chief’s ability to manage personnel.”
