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Reid-Pelosi: Lose The War Or We'll Shut Down The Pentagon
Democratic leaders in Congress said Thursday that if lawmakers are unable to pass a war spending bill that sets a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq, they'll probably drop it until next year, prompting a threat of military layoffs from the Pentagon.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the Pentagon can tap into its $471 billion annual budget instead. However, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that unless Congress passes funding for the Iraq war within days, he will direct the Army and Marine Corp. to begin developing plans to lay off employees and terminate contracts early next year. "There is a misperception that this department can continue funding our troops in the field for an indefinite period of time through accounting maneuvers, that we can shuffle money around the department. This is a serious misconception," Gates told reporters at the Pentagon. He only has the flexibility to transfer about $3.7 billion -- which is just one week's worth of war expenses, he said. The House passed a $50 billion bill Wednesday that would pay for the wars but require that troops start to leave Iraq in 30 days. It sets a goal of ending combat by December 2008, as well as standards that would make waterboarding illegal. The White House said that it is already on track to meet the requirement that troops start coming home because the surge is winding down. And President George W. Bush promised to veto the bill if it arrives with a withdrawal provision. A Senate vote on the bill is expected before Sunday... Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-11-15 |
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