(Stevens) Republican Senator Rejects 'Blank Check' for Iraq

[maddezmom]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A powerful senator from President Bush (news - web sites)'s own party rejected his administration's request for broad leeway on a $25 billion reserve fund it wants for Iraq (news - web sites) and said on Wednesday he intends to limit how the money can be used.

"We expect this to be used only for Afghanistan (news - web sites) and Iraq," declared Republican Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which approves government spending and oversees the federal budget.


Stevens told administration officials at a hearing: "Some of my colleagues have said that you're asking us to give you a blank check because of the word 'may' in this provision. I would intend to change that to say it 'shall' only be used for these accounts."


The emergency reserve fund is intended to finance military operations in the two countries until the White House makes a separate request for a larger supplemental spending bill early next year.
~snip~
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040602/pl_nm/iraq_usa_congress_dc&cid=615&ncid=1480

[papau]

1. "ONLY A $ 5 BILLION SLUSH FUND" - rather than $25 billion - & Bush

said OK before Stevens' speech!

:-)

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

2. I'm still wondering where the $3,000,000,000,000 slush fund went.

:shrug:

[Just Me]

3. Too bad he didn't object to the first two "blank checks",...

,...which were by far larger than this one. They both had "may" in them and left the total amounts under the complete discretion of the executive branch (for "good cause" or whatever). Moreover, the last blank check, I thought, included a provision that all funds had to be fully accounted for prior to further/additional funds. Have we received a full accounting yet? No? No.

[quispquake]

4. Stevens wouldn't accept any conditions on the 87 billion

so this is actually a pretty big deal...I remember Byrd & others trying to at least have shrubco be accountable for some of the 87 billion, but Stevens kept nailing it...

If Stevens has turned, things are definitely getting interesting...

[Tellurian]

5. Sooo, Sen. Stevens says: Enough is Enough?

About ding dang time you republicans start doing your job, stemming the hemorrhaging of tax-payer dollars filtering through the pockets of the Bush Cartel before finding it's lawful destination!

[proud patriot]

6. Rated it

B-)

[maddezmom]

7. oops a dupe

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x597372