If all goes as planned, the first session of the 110th Congress will end next week, but Congress still hasn’t finalized emergency funding for U.S. troops in Iraq and Afganistan. That reality continues to irritate President Bush.
“Congress has had plenty of time to consider the emergency funds our troops need. Time is running out,” Bush said in his weekly radio address. “And Pentagon officials say that continued delay in funding our troops will soon begin to have a damaging impact on the operations of our military. Congress’ responsibility is clear: They must deliver vital funds for our troops — and they must do it before they leave for Christmas.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California focused on a completely different subject in the Democratic address: energy legislation passed by her chamber. She touted provisions to improve fuel-efficiecy standards for vehicles and to foster the U.S. biofuels industry, among other things. The goal is to make the United States less dependent on foreign oil as an energy source.
“Our energy bill will strengthen our national security, protect consumers from spiraling energy prices, create jobs, and meet our moral obligation to preserve our planet for future generations,” Pelosi said. “It will tell the world that America is prepared to become a leader in addressing the global climate crisis.”
The mortgage industry is a mess, and President Bush thinks it’s time for the federal government to help the private sector do something about it. He outlined a three-step plan in his weekly radio address:
Giving the Federal Housing Administration greater flexibility to offer refinancing to homeowners who have good credit histories but cannot afford their current payments;
Assembling an industry alliance that has agreed to standards for refinancing the existing loans of struggling homeowners into a private mortgage, among other steps;
And taking regulatory action to make the mortgage industry more transparent, reliable, and fair.
Bush urged lawmakers to pass legislation to modernize the FHA and provide funding to support mortgage counseling. “Congress has not sent me a single bill to help homeowners,” he said.
In this week’s Democratic address, Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois chastised the Republican minority for what he sees as their determination to “make this a ‘no-can-do’ Congress.” One complaint focused on the GOP’s efforts to block mortgage-related bills.
“The mortgage crisis isn’t just your neighbor’s problem any more — it’s everybody’s problem,” Durbin said. “… Yet Senate Republicans blocked two bills this week that would help families facing foreclosure hold onto their homes and keep the mortgage crisis from spreading.”
President Bush today outlined a legislative wish list for Congress to address between now and Christmas once lawmakers return to work next week, and emergency funding for U.S. troops is at the top of the list.
Bush warned that Defense Secretary Robert Gates is prepared to layoff civilian Defense Department employees, terminate contracts and reduce operations at other U.S. bases across the globe if necessary to give U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq what they need until Congress provides enough money. “Military leaders have told us what they need to do their job,” he said in his weekly radio address. “It is time for the Congress to do its job and give our troops what they need to protect America.”
The president’s other priorities include an update to and extension of the law that governs anti-terrorism surveillance, a change to the alternative minimum tax that is aimed at ensuring that all Americans pay at least some taxes, and finalizing a fiscal 2008 budget that isn’t loaded with “earmarks and pork-barrel spending.”
President Bush dedicated his post-Thanksgiving weekly radio address to remembering patriots both past and present — the Pilgrims who discovered America and modern-day military men like Navy SEAL Michael Murphy, who died in Afghanistan in 2005 to save his fellow-countrymen.
Bush also praised emergency responders and “faith-based and community volunteers.” He ended the address with what some Americans would consider politically incorrect thanks to God. “We are grateful to the Author of Life who blessed our nation’s first days, who strengthened America in times of trial and war, and who watches over us today.”
Democrats chose retired Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, at one time the top U.S. commander of troops in Iraq, to speak for them this week, once again attacking the Bush administration’s policies in Iraq.
“Although we cannot withdraw precipitously from Iraq,” Sanchez said, “we must move rapidly to minimize our force presence. Shifting the primary mission of our troops away from combat will lead to a smaller U.S. military presence, and a greater obligation on the part of the Iraqis to take the lead in solving their country’s problems.”
Congress has chosen “political posturing” over priorities like funding military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq and changing the tax code so more Americans aren’t hit with the alternative minimum tax, President Bush said today.
The so-called AMT is designed to ensure that the wealthy pay some taxes despite write-offs, but an estimated 25 million people will have to pay the tax unless Congress exempts them, as it has in recent years. Democratic lawmakers, meanwhile, are pushing an emergency war spending bill that would require troop withdrawals from Iraq to get the money.
The president used his weekly radio address to urge action on both issues before the end of the legislative year in a few weeks. “[U]nless they complete this work soon, middle-class Americans will pay higher taxes and American troops will not receive the critical funding they need to fight and defeat our enemies,” Bush said.
Sen. Bob Casey, R-Pa., criticized Bush in the Democratic address and challenged Republicans in Congress to support the Democratic effort to link troop withdrawal to additional war spending.
“President Bush has asked for nearly $200 billion more to continue the war indefinitely, with no accountability,” Casey said. “This request is unacceptable, and we are negotiating a way forward that will responsibly deploy our troops out of Iraq so that we can transition the mission to training Iraqis, protecting our forces and fighting terrorists.”
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