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Monday, April 21, 2008
Supersized Supplemental Spending?
Saturday's New York Times reported on an emerging if-you-can't-beat-them-join-them strategy congressional Democrats are weighing as Congress takes up the Bush administration's request for a $108 billion supplemental war spending package for FY08:
Congressional Democrats have said that they will not simply grant Mr. Bush's request, but will once again seek to attach strings, including a requirement that Iraq pay a higher share of the costs. The Democrats also plan to add up to $30 billion in domestic spending that they say is needed to help the economy. Some Democrats are also trying to approve an additional $70 billion to sustain military operations through the end of Mr. Bush's term.
The theory: give President Bush so much more than than he has asked for that he won't look the legislative gift horse in the mouth and veto domestic stimulus add-ons, as he had threatened to do if such items were added to his original $108 billion request. And what a gift -- an extra $70 billion in war spending to be used "through the end of Mr. Bush's term" -- that is, in the three-plus months of FY09 before Bush leaves office on Jan. 20, 2009.
This would add up to a supersized $208 billion supplemental -- the largest in history, by far.
Image by Flickr user ERIK98122 used under a Creative Commons license.
Posted by Dana Chasin
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