Thread: Gregg, Clinton face off over diversion of Iraq money to bord

http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx ... 390b5829f5

Gregg, Clinton face off
By STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

Thursday, Apr. 27, 2006


WASHINGTON – A war of words broke out yesterday between Sens. Judd Gregg and Hillary Clinton after the Senate approved Gregg’s proposal to divert some of the money President Bush requested for the war in Iraq to instead bolster U.S. border security.

Sen. Clinton, D-N.Y., said Gregg’s cuts would “take money from troop pay, body armor and even joint improvised explosive device defeat fund. Now that is a false choice, and it is a wrong choice.”

Gregg responded heatedly, arguing that the cuts eventually would come from other parts of the massive Pentagon budget rather than U.S. forces in Iraq.

“To come down here and allege that these funds are going to come out of the needs of the people on the front lines in Iraq or Afghanistan is pure poppycock,” he said.

The Senate passed Gregg’s amendment yesterday by a vote of 59-39. The amendment cuts President Bush’s Iraq request by $1.9 billion to pay for new Border Patrol agents, aircraft and some fencing at border crossings widely used by illegal immigrants.

“Yes, fighting the war in Iraq is critical to this war on terrorism,” Gregg said on the Senate floor Tuesday. “Fighting the war in Afghanistan is critical to this war on terrorism. But I have to think equally important is making sure that our borders are secure.”

While the border security funds had sweeping support, Democrats and Republicans argued over whether the cuts to Pentagon war funds would harm troops on the ground in Iraq.

Gregg’s proposed cuts trim Bush’s request for the war by almost 3 percent but don’t specify how. Yesterday, his press secretary said the money could be drawn from portions of the President’s request that would not affect current U.S. troops in Iraq.

In his floor statement, Gregg said the majority of dollars in the amendment — more than $700 million — would go to improving the air fleet used to patrol U.S. borders. Some of the planes are 40 years past their useful life, he said.

Gregg said the United States has had just one unmanned aerial vehicle conducting surveillance along the border. On Tuesday, he said, it crashed.

Other portions of Gregg’s amendment would go to new cars and helicopters. Gregg said he also hoped to buy new boats for the Coast Guard.

Gregg chairs the Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee. His plan, he said, would “give the people who are defending us on our borders, the border security agents, the Custom agents, the Coast Guard, the tools they need to do their job right — the unmanned vehicles, the cars, the helicopters, which are a critical part of our fight in the war on terrorism. It has to be done now.”

Yesterday’s vote came in the wake of a toughly worded promise by the White House to veto the $106.5 billion measure unless it is cut back to below $95 billion.

In its veto statement, the White House said the bill contains too many items that are “unrelated to the war or emergency hurricane relief needs.” It said a final House-Senate compromise on it “must remain focused on addressing urgent national priorities while maintaining fiscal discipline.”

The move is likely to force senators to drop most of their $14 billion in add-ons for farm aid, highway repairs, aid to the Gulf Coast fishing industry and other projects. The additional money had won the ire of the White House and GOP congressional leaders and scorn from conservative allies whose support is crucial on Election Day.

The bill is sure to be carved back in House-Senate negotiations next month, and Bush may very well not have to follow through on his veto promise.

The White House statement said farm aid in the bill is unnecessary after a booming 2005 crop year and that a controversial $700 million relocation of a Mississippi freight rail line would unfairly put taxpayers on the hook for privately owned infrastructure.

To accommodate the White House’s objections would require the Senate to shed numerous projects. That would represent a departure from how a disaster aid bill was handled in December, when Congress added $12 billion in new spending not requested by Bush.

Even as the White House raised the potential of a first-ever Bush veto, the administration on Tuesday asked the Senate for $2.2 billion more to repair and strengthen levees in and around New Orleans. The request wouldn’t add to the overall cost of the bill since it was accompanied by a decrease in Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster funds.

The White House acknowledges that FEMA coffers would have to be replenished again in the fall instead of next year under the proposal.

Bush insists that total spending in the bill be capped at his $92.2 billion request for Iraq and hurricane relief, though he is willing to accept $2.3 billion in the bill to prevent an outbreak of avian flu. His February budget anticipated the funding, but the White House has been slow to follow up with a detailed request.

To date, Congress has provided about $315 billion for the war in Iraq and anti-terror spending since September 2001.

I saw her doing her 'thing' about the money on C-Span....what an act!! She knew that the troops were not going to be deprived of anything...she just wanted her little speech on record.

What clowns these are. Disgusting.

MJ

Gregg said the United States has had just one unmanned aerial vehicle conducting surveillance along the border. On Tuesday, he said, it crashed.

Oh lordy, is that just not the funniest tragedy you've ever read about the status of the national defense and security of the United States.

We've been a pure joke to these illegal aliens and all our enemies.

They probaby knew we only had one surveillance aircraft all along.



Go Senator Gregg!!

But you know for that same $1.9 Billion we could have had our Wall of 40,000 Americans covering every mile of the southern border 24/7/365...plus 40,000 Americans could have had a new job or a better job protecting America and serving their country....plus NOT ONE ILLEGAL ALIEN would enter or recycle into the United States.

Maybe they'll see my proposal eventually.