Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine

Off-budget Iraq/Afghan occupation funding sweetened with vet benefits
Little-noticed provision supplies billions for military bases worldwide

Maine Owl has more commentary.

Let’s take a look at what is actually in this bill.

This brief summary, with my comments added on a few of the items, comes from yesterday’s AP release, Highlights of Senate Iraq war funding bill (by Andrew Taylor). Key provisions would:

• Provide $165 billion for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan for the rest of this year and several months into 2009, when there is a new president.This is the largest war supplemental yet approved, exceeding last year’s by $20 billion. This is supplemental funding, which means it’s off budget and they will have to hang paper to finance 100% of it.
• Extend unemployment benefits for workers whose benefits have run out. The extension would cover up to 13 weeks nationwide and an additional 13 weeks in states with unemployment rates of 6 percent or greater, including Michigan, Alaska and California. The cost is estimated at $11.1 billion over 10 years.
• Expand education for active-duty members of the armed forces since Sept. 11, 2001. Under a formula related to years of service, the measure aims to provide the equivalent of a four-year education at a state university. The cost is estimated at $51.6 billion over the next decade.
• Block new Bush administration regulations that would cut federal spending on Medicaid health care for the poor and disabled by $13 billion over the next five years.
• Provide $8.7 billion in foreign aid and international food assistance over 2008-2009, including $350 million for Mexico to combat drug trafficking, $214 million below the administration’s request.
• Provide $5.8 billion to strengthen New Orleans levees, as requested by the administration, plus $3.1 billion to help Louisiana “match” federal contributions, and $1 billion for Mississippi coastal protection.
• Provide $3.1 billion for military base construction and base closure accounts.How does Congress pay for the massive worldwide imperial U.S. base structure? This is one way, through supplemental funding. It’s a bit of a hot potato, because President Bush would prefer this $3.1 billion chunk to come from budget “offsets,” meaning cuts in social programs. Democrats in Congress see it differently. They figure to just hang more paper. While poking around researching this (Congressional Record, May 22, 2008, S4506), I found that Congress continues to want to pretend to insist that bases in Iraq not be “permanent.” Here is the sample language.CHAPTER 3 - MILITARY CONSTRUCTION - Military Construction, Army
  

  For an additional amount for “Military Construction, Army”, $1,170,200,000: Provided, That such funds may be obligated and expended to carry out planning and design and military construction projects not otherwise authorized by law: Provided further, That of the funds made available under this heading, $1,033,000,000 shall remain available until September 30, 2009, and $137,200,000 shall remain available until September 30, 2012: Provided further, That funds made available under this heading for military construction projects in Iraq shall not be obligated or expended until the Secretary of Defense certifies to the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress that none of the funds are to be used for the purpose of providing facilities for the permanent basing of U.S. military personnel in Iraq.

  Some restriction! All Congress figures is needed to scrub the appearance of imperialism is the Secretary of Defense to “certify” that it isn’t. (For a real picture of the U.S. bases in Iraq check HERE and HERE. Those links contain information that is a little outdated, but I think the overall picture of an extremely aggressive, very-long-term occupation holds. )

• Provide $1.2 billion for science and health programs, including $200 million for NASA, $200 million for the National Science Foundation to bolster U.S. competitiveness, and $400 million for the National Institutes of Health.
• Provide $400 million for rural schools.
• Provide $451 million to rebuild roads and bridges damaged by natural disasters.
• Provide $490 million in anti-crime grants to states and local governments.
• Provide $437 million for trauma centers for veterans to help their recovery from war-related injuries, especially traumatic brain injury.

For what’s next and more information, see these links that we’ve sent around in emails today:

We can’t give up the fight just yet. The Senate bill will go back to the House of Representatives for a vote in the beginning of June. Before they vote though, members of Congress will be coming home for their week-long Memorial Day recess. That means they will be at parades, picnics, campaign events and in their offices. They must hear from you — loud or silent, rude or polite, funny or solemn, in print, on the phone or in person. There are many ways to convey one message: Stop funding the war, bring all our troops home now! Use as many of them as you can!

Please check the UFPJ calendar to see if there are any Memorial Day Peace events near you (and make sure your event is listed if you are organizing one).

Click here to find out who your representative is and the locations and phone numbers of their local offices.

Let us know how you contacted your representative — phone, email, fax, in-person, etc. — who you reached, what you said, and what the response was.

Additional Resources from UFPJ and UFPJ member groups:

• CodePink Memorial Day Action Guide
• “Why We’re Against the War,” from Iraq Veterans Against the War
• Legislative information from UFPJ
• Local cost of war info from the National Priorities Project
• Talking points for grassroots lobbyists from Peace Action
• Open letter to Congress from Military Families Speak Out
• “Healing the Wounds of War” from AFSC

Background Details
The Senate voted [May 22], on three separate amendments: The first vote produced a surprise outcome. It was an amendment approving billions in funding for a broad array of domestic programs, including increases in GI education funding, extension of unemployment benefits, levee construction in New Orleans, and a plethora of other good works. The amendment passed by a vote of 75-22.

The second vote was on Iraq war policies, including a withdrawal timeline, troop readiness requirements, no permanent bases and no toture. This amendment failed on a vote of 34-63.

The final vote was on $165.4 billion to fund the wars/occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan through next summer. This amendment passed on a vote of 70-26.

The Senate version of the bill (including the war funding and the domestic funding) will go back to the House for a vote after the Memorial Day recess. Last week, the House voted on three amendments similar to the amendments in the Senate. It defeated the war funding amendment and passed only the war policies and domestic programs.

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