Key House Dem to block war funding

October 2, 2007

In a bit of a surprise, Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.), chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, said this afternoon that he would block supplemental Iraq war spending unless Bush is prepared to embrace timetables for withdrawal and longer rest times for the troops.

“As chairman of the Appropriations Committee I have absolutely no intention of reporting out of committee anytime in this session of Congress any such request that simply serves to continue the status quo,” Obey told reporters.

Obey is apparently looking for specific elements from the White House before moving forward.

“I would be more than willing to report out a supplemental meeting the President’s request if that request were made in support of a change in policy that would do three things.

* “Establish as a goal the end of U.S. involvement in combat operations by January of 2009.”

* “Ensure that troops would have adequate time at home between deployments as outlined in the Murtha and Webb amendments.”

* “Demonstrate a determination to engage in an intensive, broad scale diplomatic offensive involving other countries in the region.”

“But this policy does not do that. It simply borrows almost $200 billion to give to the Departments of State, Defense, Energy, and Justice with no change in sight.”

As Greg Sargent explained, “establish as a goal” appears to be non-binding, but the threat about the Webb Amendment appears far more direct. And as chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Obey has the power to follow through.

It may not get as much attention, but Obey also expressed support for a “war tax,” as proposed by Rep. James McGovern (D-Mass.).

“If you don’t like the cost, then shut down the war,” Obey said in a news conference.

The tax would be intended to raise roughly $150 billion for the war. It would be a surtax of 2 to 15 percent of income tax.

There’s probably very little chance of this proposal going anywhere, but it might help remind a few folks that war supporters are just putting the cost of this conflict on the national credit card, for future generations to deal with.

Obey’s fight isn’t imminent — the supplemental spending bill won’t come up for months — but it clearly suggests a step in the right direction.

And if we don’t like the war, can we refuse to pay the surtax if enacted? You’re right, CB, no way in heck we’ll ever see a war tax, even though it’s entirely justified.

  • Finally, somebody with an idea worth putting up their dukes for. And the power to back it up. Nice one, Rep. Obey.

    “You must….Obey! Resistance is futile!”

    Yeah, I like the sound of that. 🙂

  • I t hought Obey was smarter than this. It will give the GOP a big stick with which to whack us in the head.

    The principled stand represented by Obey’s action will morph into lurid tales of soldiers who don’t have ammunition, ’cause Obey won’t pay for it. It will be a lie, but it will be presented that way every night on the news. And enough of the public will buy it to make progressives lives miserable.

  • The principled stand represented by Obey’s action will morph into lurid tales of soldiers who don’t have ammunition, ’cause Obey won’t pay for it. -zak822

    Fortunately, America doesn’t buy that bullshit anymore. This is why the Democrats were elected. It’s nice to finally see someone making an effort.

  • Those damned irresponsible tax and spend Democrats!
    How dare they try to balance the budget instead of endlessly borrow and spend the way we’re supposed to! This NOT what we were taught by the uber-president, Ronald Reagan! Now THAT’s conservatism!

    What is it with these fiscally incompetent, economically clueless, no business-sense Democrats so bad at handling money that they want to balance expenditures like wars with income? What’s up with ‘dat?

  • “If you don’t like the cost, then shut down the war,”

    That’s the most brilliant f-ing quote I’ve heard in a long damn time. Congrats to Obey for being up to his duty to this nation as a Congressman … I just hope he doesn’t pull a Specter.

  • Just as Julius Caesar met his Brutus…and just as Napoleon met his Waterloo…Darth Cheney has met his “Obey-wan.”

    And this time, Darth loses….

  • Sounds like more Dem hot air.
    I’ll believe it – when I see it.
    Till then bushco will just keep on murdering brown people.

  • I thought it was Obey’s job to ‘shut down the war’. Now the people are supposed to rise up and…not pay their taxes? We elect congressmen to manage the purse strings. This guy sounds like the little kid who didn’t get his way so he takes the only ball and goes home. He really put the Dem. leadership in a quandary though, they couldn’t get away from his statements fast enough. You’d think a democratic congressmen would not wreck his party’s good standing by bringing up the idea of raising taxes, the true third rail of american politics.

  • This is exactly why our Constitution calls for ONE Commander in Chief and not 500. All that the Congress is authorized to do in regards to war is to declare war, declare and end to war and fund the war. That’s it. It is wholly outside of their authority to say “Yeah, we’ll fund the war for the next 18 months but first you have to agree to this, this and this.”

    That’s called extortion folks.

  • If you want to end the war, quit funding it. It really is that simple. Checks and balances – a balance of power so that there is not one omnipotent power – that’s what our founding fathers envisioned. That’s why there are three branches of government – so we can keep the one commander in chief in line, and vice versa.

  • Since Duhbya bypasses Congress with illigitimate signing papers, it is way past time for Congress to act take back territory that is ligitimately their’s.
    This type of action is way overdue.

    Let’s just hope the Dems don’t wieeny out once again.

  • The tax is a fine idea, but why make it an income tax? Hasn’t the middle class suffered enough? It should be a captial gains tax increase or closing of loopholes for corporate tax. If you want to gain support from the masses you can’t attack their incomes. Attack Bush’s war profiteers. What we need is a war windfall profit tax. Write it to target the private companies that are gouging our taxpayers. KBR, Haliburton, Exxon, Blackwater need to be taxed to the point where they are not so fond of wars. Right now, all motive for profit leads them to push for endless war.

    Who benefits?

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