Emergency Supplemental Funding for Iraq, Afghanistan, Veterans, Workers, and Midwest Disasters
On June 19, 2008, the House passed the fiscal year 2008 supplemental, providing funding for Iraq, Afghanistan, veterans, workers, and Midwest disasters. The bill was signed into law on June 30, 2008.
Speaker Pelosi voted against Amendment #1 and in favor of Amendment #2>>
Details of the Legislation
The proposal will be taken up as two amendments. These amendments include provisions to meet the needs of our troops, fully restore GI Bill education benefits for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, provide emergency assistance to Americans struggling in an economy on the brink of recession, provide urgently-needed disaster relief in the response to the floods and tornadoes in the Midwest, and block damaging Medicaid regulations.
There will be two separate votes on: 1) an amendment that provides funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; and 2) an amendment funding certain key priorities. There will be no vote on final passage.
Amendment #1 provides $165.4 billion, as passed by the Senate in May, for DOD funding in FY 2008 and FY 2009 for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. (However, Amendment #2 reduces this funding to $161.8 billion.) Amendment #2 includes key domestic and humanitarian priorities, such as the new GI bill, extended unemployment benefits, domestic disaster relief, and international food assistance.
For appropriated items, this bill is at the President’s request -- except for new disaster funding. Under consideration is $183.9 billion in outstanding appropriations requests from the President. This bill’s appropriations total is $186.5 billion – which stays within the requested level of appropriated dollars with the exception of $2.65 billion added for disaster relief in the aftermath of the devastating tornadoes and floods that have hit the Midwest. Other than the extra $2.65 billion for disaster relief, increases in the bill for such items as an addition of $500 million for international food aid are offset with reductions in other requested funding.
Following are highlights of the provisions of these two amendments.
Amendment #1: Funding for Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
Amendment #1 provides $165.4 billion for DOD funding of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as passed by the Senate on May 22, 2008. This covers the costs of the wars through the summer of 2009. The total includes $99.5 billion for FY 2008 and $65.9 billion for FY 2009.
However, Amendment #2 (see below) would reduce the funding by $3.6 billion for a new total of $161.8 billion for DOD funding of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Amendment #2: Domestic and Humanitarian Priorities Amendment
Provides for the new GI Bill, which fully restores GI education benefits for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans to the level available after World War II.
- The new GI bill restores full, four-year college scholarships to veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars to help make them part of an economic recovery like the veterans of World War II.
- It will give our returning troops the tools to succeed after military service and make military service more attractive as we work to rebuild our military, and strengthen our sagging economy.
- Under the new GI bill, servicemembers returning from Iraq or Afghanistan, who have served 3 years on active duty, would receive benefits to cover the costs of a four-year education up to the level of the most expensive in-state public school.
- Education benefits would be available to troops who have served at least 3 months of active duty since September 11, 2001, including members of the National Guard and Reserve.
- The bill also allows service members with six years of service, coupled with an additional service agreement of four years, to transfer their educational benefits to their spouses and dependents.
- The new GI bill is broadly supported by all major veterans’ organizations, including the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
Provides for extended unemployment benefits for those who have exhausted the 26 weeks of regular benefits.
- The amendment would provide up to 13 weeks of extended unemployment benefits in every state to workers exhausting the 26 weeks of regular unemployment benefits.
- For five consecutive months, the U.S. economy has lost jobs. In total, 324,000 jobs have disappeared.
- 1.6 million workers are long-term unemployed (jobless for more than 26 weeks), representing nearly one out of every five jobless workers.
- The number of long-term unemployed Americans is higher now than when Congress last extended unemployment benefits in 2002.
- Extending unemployment benefits will also help stimulate an economic recovery. CBO states that extending unemployment benefits is one of the most cost-effective and fastest-acting forms of economic stimulus because the money is spent quickly.
Provides $2.65 billion for urgent disaster relief in response to Midwestern floods and tornadoes.
- Over the last several weeks, disastrous floods and tornadoes have struck many states throughout the Midwest.
- The amendment includes $2.65 billion in urgently-needed disaster relief in the aftermath of these floods and tornadoes, including additional funding for FEMA Disaster Relief accounts, SBA disaster loans, agriculture assistance, the Community Development Block Grant, the Economic Development Administration, and the Army Corps of Engineers.
Places a moratorium until April 1, 2009 on six Administration-imposed Medicaid regulations, which would slash federal funding for vital programs and services.
- If implemented, these regulations would reverse longstanding Medicaid policies and eliminate federal payments for a variety of critical Medicaid functions.
- As a result, they would put in jeopardy needed services and protections for millions of vulnerable beneficiaries, as well as support for critical safety net institutions in states that are financially strapped.
- These regulations would slash federal Medicaid funding to states for vital programs and services by billions of dollars over the next five years.
- These regulations would particularly harm children and their access to health care – with 30 million children currently dependent on the Medicaid program.
Provides a total of $10.1 billion for the State Department, USAID, and international food assistance, $670 million above the President’s request.
- The amendment includes $1.9 billion, $745 million above the President’s request, for international food and disaster assistance. This includes $500 million above the President’s request for international food aid and $245 million above the President’s request for development assistance and disaster assistance programs meant to alleviate hunger.
- The amendment includes $696 million, $475 million above the President’s request, for refugee assistance, to address the refugee crisis in Iraq and elsewhere.
- The amendment provides $465 million, $85 million below the President’s request, for the Merida initiative to provide counter-narcotics and law enforcement assistance in Mexico ($400 million) and Central America ($65 million).
Provides $2.2 billion over the President’s request to fully fund military quality of life initiatives – including funding for military child care centers, military hospitals and VA hospitals.
- The amendment provides an additional $863 million over the President’s request to meet Base Realignment and Adjustment Commission (BRAC) requirements – funding improvements at military bases, benefiting our military families, as certain bases are realigned and closed.
- It provides an additional $863 million over the President’s request for military hospitals, in order to prevent the types of problems that faced Walter Reed.
- It provides an additional $396 million over the President’s request for VA hospitals and VA polytrauma centers.
- In addition, it provides an additional $210 million for military child care centers. In his State of the Union, President Bush called for additional funding for military child care centers, but then neglected to include this funding in his budget.
Requires that U.S. reconstruction aid for Iraq provided by the State Department and USAID be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Iraqi Government.
- Over the last 5 years, the U.S. taxpayer has already paid about $48 billion for Iraqi reconstruction.
- The Bush Administration continues to request funds for Iraqi reconstruction – seeking about $3 billion in its current request.
- Meanwhile, Iraqi oil revenues are expected to total $70 billion this year, according to the U.S. inspector general for Iraq reconstruction – a windfall from the high price of oil.
- Due to its oil revenues, the Iraqi government is projected to have a budget surplus of about $60 billion this year – at the same time that the United States is running large budget deficits.
- With its large oil revenues, it is time for the Iraqis to be shouldering more of the costs of rebuilding their country.
- Excluding the Congress from these types of long-term security agreements turns the Constitution on its head and undermines the validity of these agreements.
Prohibits establishing permanent U.S. bases in Iraq.
- The perception that the United States intends to have permanent bases in Iraq aids extremists and insurgent groups in Iraq in recruiting supporters and fuels violent activity.
- Clearly stating that the United States will not have a permanent presence in Iraq sends a strong signal to the Middle East and the broader international community that the U.S. fully supports the efforts of the Iraqi people to exercise full national sovereignty.
- In its final report, in December 2006, the bipartisan Iraq Study Group recommended that the U.S. clearly state that our nation does not seek permanent bases in Iraq. It did so to help shape “a positive climate for…diplomatic efforts,” which is essential for bringing greater stability to the Middle East.
Provides additional funding for Gulf Coast Recovery.
- The amendment includes $5.8 billion for much-needed efforts to strengthen New Orleans levees in FY 2009, as requested by the President.
- The amendment also includes $73 million for Louisiana housing vouchers, for permanent supportive housing vouchers targeted to the extremely low-income, disabled and elderly left homeless as a result of Hurricane Katrina.
Provides $400 million in additional funding for science.
- Due to the President’s inadequate cap on FY 2008 appropriations, the FY 2008 Omnibus Appropriations bill included insufficient levels of funding for key appropriations accounts for scientific research and innovation.
- The amendment includes $400 million in additional, needed FY 2008 funding for science and innovation, providing additional funding at NIH, National Science Foundation, NASA, and the Department of Energy.
Provides $150 million in additional funding for food and medical product safety.
- The inadequate funding at the Food and Drug Administration to ensure the safety of our food supply, both domestic and imported, and the safety of medical products has been well-documented.
- The amendment includes $150 million in additional, needed FY 2008 funding for the Food and Drug Administration to beef up efforts to ensure food and medical product safety for the American consumer.
Provides an amendment to the War Funding.
- The amendment reduces the DOD funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan provided in Amendment #1 by $3.6 billion – bringing the funding down to $161.8 billion – in order to fund other pressing needs.