Bush continues to press the Congress to get back to work and pass a clean spending bill. Every time he does this he emphasizes the fact that the Congress is on vacation while the military await funding.
President Bush on Tuesday called Democrats in Congress irresponsible for approving war bills that order U.S. troops to leave Iraq by certain dates. He said such efforts will backfire, keeping some troops in battle even longer.They can't override his veto, 154 Republicans in the House have sent him a letter promising they will support his veto and that's enough to sustain the veto (via).
"In a time of war, it's irresponsible for the Democratic leadership in Congress to delay for months on end while our troops in combat are waiting for the funds," Bush said in a Rose Garden news conference.
"The bottom line is this: Congress' failure to fund our troops on the front lines will mean that some of our military families could wait longer for their loved ones to return from the front lines," Bush said. "Others could see their loved ones heading back to the war sooner than they need to."
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The president renewed veto threats on both a Senate-passed bill calling for most U.S. combat troops to be out of Iraq by March 31, 2008, and an even stronger House-passed bill demanding a September 2008 withdrawal. He said both bills "undercut the troops."
Bush bluntly said that Congress could not override such a veto.
The president's remarks come one day after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (news, bio, voting record), D-Nev., announced he would try to eliminate money for the war if Bush rejects Congress' proposal to set a deadline to end combat.
"It's interesting that Harry Reid, leader Reid, spoke out with a different option," Bush said. "Whatever option they choose, we hope they get home, get a bill, and get it to my desk," Bush said. "And if it has artificial timetables for withdrawal, or cuts off funding for our troops, or tells our generals how to run a war, I'll veto it."
The Senate is in recess this week; the House is on break for two weeks.
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