House Dems Agree to Timetable

The Democratic leadership in the House hopes to attach a timetable for withdrawal to an upcoming Iraq war spending bill. The most ardent war opponents have expressed dissatisfaction that the language is not unconditional, but Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., a prominent withdrawal advocate, said “you’ll see basically what I wanted to do….”

Reuters

Democratic leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives have tentatively settled on a timetable and conditions for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq, which they hope to attach to a $100 billion Iraq war spending bill, senior lawmakers said on Wednesday.

The lawmakers said they hoped to win approval of the plan by the House Appropriations Committee next week.

If the House passes the Democratic money bill this month, it likely would face a tough fight in the 100-member Senate, where Democrats have a very slim majority over Republicans and legislative rules often require a 60-vote margin to advance controversial bills.

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