Ruling Class Politics

WASHINGTON, March 1 (Reuters) – U.S. House of Representatives Democrats will more than fully fund President George W. Bush’s request for money to fight wars in Iraq and Afghanistan this year, but are still debating conditions that could be attached, senior lawmakers said on Thursday.

“There will be $98 billion for the military part,” about $5 billion above the Bush administration’s request, said Rep. John Murtha, chairman of a defense spending panel overseeing war funds.

Murtha told reporters Democrats were still discussing provisions he wants to attach requiring that U.S. troops have proper training, adequate equipment and enough rest before being deployed into combat. “We don’t have it yet. We keep going back and refining it,” Murtha said.

But he sketched out a certification process that could be tougher than one floated earlier this week in which Bush would have been given flexibility to “waive” Murtha’s requirements.

Republicans and many conservative Democrats have expressed opposition to adding such conditions. That has forced House Democratic leaders to try to find a compromise that allows them to say they are working to phase out the war while also fully funding troops already in Iraq.

The additional money House Democrats want to add in includes $1 billion more for U.S. troops girding for a spring offensive in Afghanistan, Murtha said, and nearly $1 billion more to treat wounded American soldiers suffering from brain injuries and psychological problems related to combat.