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Analysis: The War on the Hill

Council on Foreign Relations

April 17, 2007
Prepared by: Robert McMahon

“Congress has demonstrated that the United States speaks with one voice on the threat to international peace and security posed by Iraq.” So said President Bush while signing the resolution on the use of military force against Iraq less than five years ago, although it seems like a much more remote time. The new political alignment in Congress has brought paralysis (Politico.com) in Washington on the year’s first major funding bill related to the Iraq war. The Democratic-controlled Congress appears determined to link an emergency supplemental to troop withdrawals next year and the White House insists on a “clean” measure that allows U.S. forces to press ahead with the new surge strategy. Bush and his top congressional sparring partners—House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)—will sit down this week to discuss, but there is little expectation they will avert a veto clash.

Bush has tried to frame the debate as a troop support issue ahead of the meeting, saying on Monday he will not accept any measure that “hamstrings our troops” and that “we should not legislate defeat in this vital war.” Democrats stress their bill reflects the mandate (PollingReport.com) of a majority of Americans, who have shown in public opinion polls they would rather see troop numbers drawn down

The standoff highlights one of the strongest attempts in years by Congress to assert its war powers, an issue examined in this new Backgrounder. Both sides acknowledge Congress holds the purse strings and that the Democratic majority doesn’t have the votes to override a presidential veto.

Read the rest of this article on the cfr.org website.

Copyright 2007 by the Council on Foreign Relations. This material is republished on GlobalSecurity.org with specific permission from the cfr.org. Reprint and republication queries for this article should be directed to cfr.org.