Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Using a tactic he criticized when his predecessor employed it, President Barack Obama has asked Congress to approve “emergency” legislation to cover costs associated with disaster relief, assistance for Haiti and the military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq. Obama the candidate was critical of President George W. Bush’s use of supplemental spending measures to finance the two wars, and he swore upon taking over the Oval Office to pay for military operations through the normal budget process.
Of the $59 billion Obama is requesting, more than $33 billion is war-related spending, including weapons purchases, most of which is for the troop buildup in Afghanistan. Congress already approved $130 billion for the wars as part of the current federal budget.
It remains to be seen if Obama can get the votes for the spending bill. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) says it will be a “heavy lift” to win support in the House, while Senator Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma) intends to introduce an amendment requiring Congress to offset the emergency spending with cuts in other federal programs.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Summary of FY 2010 Emergency Supplemental (U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations)
H. R. 4899 (Thomas.loc.gov)
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