Congress Approves Iraq War Funding Bill Without Withdrawal Deadlines

Congress passed H.R. 2206 [Thomas Legislative Resources] yesterday. As reported by CQ Today, the "Democrats made modest inroads by including benchmarks for the Iraqi government to meet. And the White House will get a bill that includes spending for a variety of Democratic domestic priorities, as well as an increase in the minimum wage. ... [But] the exclusion of a withdrawal timetable, as well as a lack of troop readiness standards or binding consequences for failing to meet the benchmarks, were sore points for many Democrats who voted against the war funding." See also CNN's coverage.

The White House has stated that President Bush will sign the bill into law "without ceremony." Apparently even the White House is sensitive to the tragic irony of signing a bill that will result in more combat deaths during the Memoral Day weekend. [JH]