Political Quotes

“This amendment is straightforward. It will simply reduce the amount appropriated to the Overseas Contingency Operations Transfer Fund by roughly $3.5 billion. We often hear in this body the Constitution grants the Congress the power of the purse, that the President's budget is not sacrosanct, and that Members should be able to guide Federal spending. I agree with that. So I was quite surprised that the committee included in this bill an appropriation of $5 billion to the Overseas Contingency Operation Transfer Fund, but provided virtually no guidance on how it should be spent beyond requiring that any obligations be, quote, pursuant to the global war on terrorism. That's roughly 4 percent of the overall cost of the war spending portion of this bill. I understand the funding could provide the Department of Defense with a little more flexibility as it moves ahead with operations in Afghanistan, while simultaneously withdrawing troops from Afghanistan and Iraq. I am sympathetic to the need to properly fund the war in a way that requires us to budget for it. {time} 1940 But this $5 billion with very few strings attached could also be used for just about anything, including, as a bargaining chip, for negotiations with the Senate, according to the CQ Today article, which ran on June 14. I would submit that it's an expensive bargaining chip, and it's a very risky gamble, in my view. The President recently announced his intent to withdraw 10,000 U.S.…”