Out of Iraq Caucus
starts to split

By Mike Soraghan
and Jackie Kucinich

March 15, 2007
TheHill.com

tinyurl.com/2a2jtq

Once-ignored members of the Out of Iraq Caucus are now some of the most sought-after votes in the House as Democratic leaders search for the support they need to pass a carefully crafted Iraq supplemental budget.

And the caucus membership has started to split between those insisting on an immediate withdrawal and those willing to vote for legislation that falls short of their hopes.

They suffered a defeat this week when the latest draft of the bill was released without language blocking President Bush from attacking Iran. But members said Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-
Calif.) has promised a separate floor vote on the issue. The activist group Win Without War is calling on its members to contact lawmakers and press to reinstate that language.

The first test comes today when the House Appropriations Committee votes on the $124.1 billion bill. Of the 37 Democratic members of the committee, 12 are from the Out of Iraq Caucus. That means if they all defect, and Republicans stick together, the bill would fail. Such a vote would also likely be viewed as a major blow to Democratic leadership.

But they aren't all defecting. It's not clear how many will support the bill, but some certainly will, such as Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.). Honda is among those who say they're setting aside their personal preferences to pass a bill and help their party govern.

"If I had my choice, we'd be out by now," Honda said.

Another is Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.), an appropriator and caucus member who supports the bill. He says one reason is that Pelosi won him over with her hard work on the bill.

"We're not going to get any better, and a 'no' vote plays into the hands of the White House," Moran said.

Out of Iraq Caucus members say they have 20 to 30 votes against the bill, Moran said, such as that of caucus co-founder Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.). She has nothing but praise for Pelosi's handling of the bill but says she can't support something that, in her mind, continues to fund the war.

"This is not a game," Woolsey shouted in the Speaker's Lobby yesterday as reporters pressed her for details. "This is who we are."

Others are less certain. Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) figures there are "40 progressives in flux right now," and he's one of them.

"The bill as it stands right now is pretty weak. It allows the war to go on," he said. "But on the other hand, the president is pretty exercised about it. This is a complex set of moving parts."

Another undecided is Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-Mich.). She said yesterday she's not yet prepared to take a position, but she will have to today as a me mber of the Appropriations Committee. She did tell reporters yesterday that she does not plan to offer any amendments.

Less clear is whether fellow appropriator and Out of Iraq Caucus member Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) will offer her amendment calling for an immediate withdrawal of troops, to be completed by the end of the year. Her allies have said they don't expect her to offer the amendment.

Lee and Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) had an extended conversation on the House floor late yesterday. Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman John Murtha (D-Pa.) said he has not heard of any planned amendments except a Republican proposal that would remove the timetable for withdrawal from the bill.

Meanwhile, several Republican appropriators plan to offer amendments to strip out various pork projects during the markup today. But GOP leaders have vowed a "no" vote on the Democratic bill if the military provisions remain as written.

Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) said he will offer an amendment to strike the "mandatory rate" provision in the State Children's Healthcare Insurance Program (SCHIP), which he has characterized as too high.

He added, "Our team is going to present lots of amendments. We want to strip anything out of the bill that's non-military."

Rep. Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.), ranking member of the Appropriations legislative branch subcommittee, said he will also offer amendments to the bill, but said only that they would have to do with his role on the subcommittee.

A House GOP leadership aide predicted that members will offer amendments to strip the bill of a $74 million provision for "peanut storage" and another $25 million for spinach growers.

Sources say that during a conference meeting on Tuesday, Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.), the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee, addressed GOP members and said appropriators were "locking arms" against the bill. He reportedly called the bill the "most finely dressed turkey" he had ever seen.

Long-time appropriator Rep. Bill Young (R-Fla.) said yesterday that the military provisions would cause him to cast his first "no" vote ever on an emergency supplemental bill.

"As long as there is a hard date for troops' withdrawal, I will have no problem voting against this bill," Young said.

"We are still trying to get them to take that out [of the bill]."

Whether Republicans will be able to offer amendments on the floor during debate next week was not clear. No decision on a rule has been made pending the markup today, a Democratic aide said.