WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Lois Capps announced that she voted, with a majority of the Congress, against an appropriations amendment that would have provided what she called “another blank check” for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Fiscal Year 2008 Supplemental Appropriations Bill HR 2642 was authored and passed by the house last year, but the Senate added three amendments, including the one that Capps rejected, as did a majority of her Congressional colleagues: The amendment failed 141-149 with 144 members not voting on the amendment, which provided funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Capps and a large majority of the House approved the other amendments added by the Senate, one of which put conditions on Iraq war funding. Addressing the Speaker of the House before the May 15 vote, Capps said this amendment prohibits deployment of units that are not fully trained and equipped, codifies contract fraud as a criminal offense, bans permanent US bases in Iraq, and “calls for” a redeployment of US troops from Iraq starting in 30 days.

The final amendment, which also passed the House by a substantial majority, funded domestic domestic priorities such as the new GI bill and extended unemployment benefits.

The Senate passed all of three amendments by an overwhelming majority. The Senate and House versions of the supplemental appropriations bill are next headed to a conference committee whose job it will be to reconcile them.

###