White House, Congress Negotiate Iraq Funding
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Bush’s top aides restarted negotiations with Democrats Thursday a quest to find bipartisan consensus on how to bankroll the protracted war in Iraq.
No deal was immediately struck and lawmakers said they planned to continue discussions early next week.
“There is nothing off the table – including timetables” to end the war, reported Senate Majority Leader Senator Reid, Democrat of Nevada. “Nothing.”
The round of meetings came after Mr. Bush vetoed $124.2 billion legislation that would have funded war in Iraq – and Afghanistan as well – but also would have ordered troops to begin coming home Oct. 1.
Democrats said they were acting on a mandate from voters to end the war. But they did not have the necessary two-thirds majority to override Bush’s veto, so now they’re having to rethink their approach.
Mr. Reid met for 45 minutes in his office with White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and Republican Leader Senator McConnell, Republican of Kentucky.
