House Panel Approves Bill To Fund War, Set Timeline

Senate Democrats, from left, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., take part in a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington Wednesday, March 14, 2007, following a procedural vote on Iraq. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook) (Dennis Cook - AP)

If by July 1 the president could not certify any progress, U.S. troops would begin leaving Iraq, to be out before the end of this year. If Bush did certify progress, the Iraqi government would have until Oct. 1 to meet the benchmarks, or troops would begin withdrawing then. In any case, withdrawals would have to begin by March 1, 2008, and conclude by the end of that summer.

The bill "puts Congress in the role of bad cop, trying to deliver a message to the politicians of Iraq, that we're not going to sit around watching them dither while our troops die," said House Appropriations Committee Chairman David R. Obey (D-Wis.). Committee Republicans, united in their opposition, see it differently.

"Consider carefully the consequences of our action today," said Rep. Jerry Lewis (Calif.), the panel's ranking Republican. Committee approval would "signal to the terrorists the U.S. doesn't have the political will to support this fledgling democracy," which he said would collapse in anarchy under the Democrats' timeline. "The sacrifice of our troops would have been for nothing," Lewis said.

The bill also would mandate that troops could be deployed to Iraq only if they are deemed thoroughly trained and equipped. Soldiers would need at least one year's rest between deployments, although the president could get around those requirements by justifying a waiver in writing.

Included in the legislation is a lot of money to help win support. The price tag exceeds the president's war request by $24 billion and lavishes extra money on military and veterans' health care, the war in Afghanistan, aviation, border and port security, Gulf Coast assistance and levee repairs, agricultural assistance, and wildfire fighting.

Democrats in the committee chose to emphasize items such as $900 million to treat post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries. Republicans spotlight less politically popular items, such as $25 million to bail out spinach farmers hurt by E. coli and $74 million for peanut storage.

Staff writer Michael Abramowitz contributed to this report.