Democrats Strike Tentative Deal to Fund Wars

Gitmo Funding Remains Out of Bill

by Jason Ditz, June 02, 2009

The Associated Press is reporting that House and Senate Democrats have reached a tentative agreement on the nearly $100 billion war funding bill. The bill is a supplemental to pay for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars through the end of the year, and also features funding for other programs, including a $5 billion contribution to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The Senate had passed its version of the bill late last month with little opposition. Sen. DeMint sought to remove the IMF funding, though Democrats say that it is necessary to ensure that developing economies could continue to buy American goods.

Still missing from the bill is the $80 million the administration had sought for the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention center. The administration has applauded the omission, though it claims to still intend to close the facility at some point.

The bill followed in the tradition of his predecessor President Bush, who also used “emergency” funding bills to keep ongoing war expenses “off the books.” The administration insists this will be the last time it seeks such additional funds, though its estimate for war costs in future proposed budgets is likely unrealistically low.

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