101 Days and No Supplemental!

Another week, another emergency supplemental spending bill headed to conference, another veto threat by President Bush.

As I reported in last week’s Newsletter, the House passed a fiscal 2007 supplemental spending bill that would immediately provide $42.7 billion for ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, but would require a second vote in July before the remaining $52.8 billion would be released.

Last week, the Senate passed a placeholder bill that provides no funding, but incorporates a resolution sponsored by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., that the Senate adopted in March. The measure stipulates that Congress and the President “will provide the necessary funds for training, equipment and other support for troops in the field, to “ensure their safety and effectiveness.” Passage of the bill paved the way for conference negotiations with the House.

Although the leadership from both sides of the aisle and White House negotiators met to hammer out a compromise on a final bill, both sides rejected the other’s proposal.

The Democratic leadership offered to strip all domestic spending from the legislation, but proposed to revive a troop withdrawal schedule included in the original version. This time; however, they offered the President a waiver option and said that they would drop all fixed withdrawal dates, leaving only a March 31, 2008 goal for withdrawing the troops.

White House Chief of Staff and negotiator Joshua Bolton turned down the proposal. “Whether they’re waivable or not, timelines send exactly the wrong signal to our adversaries, our allies and our troops.” Instead GOP and White House officials embraced an amendment offered by Sen. John Warner, R-Va., that would require the President to produce reports in July and September on the Iraqi government’s progress toward certain benchmarks. Unless he certified they were making progress, reconstruction aid would be withheld. The President could waive that sanction.

Sen. Warner’s amendment, attached to another bill, garnered 52 votes, short of the 60 needed.

In a recent letter to Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Defense Secretary Robert Gates stated, “In submitting the FY07 supplemental request in early February, the Department planned on these funds becoming available by no later than mid-April. Accordingly, starting in mid-April, the Department began a series of actions to mitigate the impact of the delay in the supplemental on our deployed forces by slowing down spending in less critical accounts. In addition, funds budgeted for fourth quarter Army operations and personnel costs have been or are in the process of being moved forward and expended to partially make up the shortfall.

“These actions have resulted in the Army having to manage civilian payroll obligations on a week-to week basis, deferring repair of equipment, restricting the use of government purchase cards, curtailing travel, freezing certain categories of civilian hiring, canceling non-critical orders and restraining supply purchases. In short, these steps, while necessary to account for the delay in the supplemental, have already caused disruptions within the Department.”

The Democratic leadership has said that they will send President Bush a package he can sign by Memorial Day and warned Congress that it would not adjourn for its Memorial Day recess until the work is completed.


Panel Passes Legislation that would Help Veterans

The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee approved several bills last week that would expand veterans’ health care and benefits.

H.R. 1470 would require the availability of chiropractic care at 75 VA medical centers by 2009 and all VA medical centers by 2011;

H.R. 67 would establish a new grant program for state veteran’s outreach programs;

H.R. 2239 would extend eligibility for vocational rehabilitation benefits to disabled service members not yet discharged from the military, but likely to be discharged because of their condition;

H.R. 612 would increase health care benefits for Gulf War veterans; and,

H.R. 2188 would improve brain trauma treatment for veterans.

In other news related to veterans’ health care, three members of the House, seeking to secure proper care for military veterans rendered sick or disabled as a result of their work at Ground Zero on and after 9/11, have asked Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs James Nicholson to officially declare people with Ground Zero military service eligible for veteran’s benefits. Reps. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., Christopher Shays, R-Conn., and John Hall, D-N.Y., also asked the Secretary Nicholson to develop a specific disability policy for these veterans.

“Our brave military members who served in the World Trade Center clean-up deserve the government’s respect and support,” said Rep. Maloney. “The 9/11 health crisis is an emergency on a national scale and it requires a federal response. The VA should officially recognize the service of sick and disabled World Trade Center veterans, and give them the care they need.”


May 28, 2007 - Memorial Day

"...gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with choicest flowers of springtime....let us in this solemn presence renew our pledges to aid and assist those whom they have left among us as sacred charges upon the Nation's gratitude,--the soldier's and sailor's widow and orphan."

General John Logan, General Order No. 11, 5 May 1868


AUSA honors those service members who lost their lives fighting for our freedom and rights and sends a heartfelt thanks to those still serving.