12.19.07

Cantwell Votes to Fund Key National Programs; Supports Measure to Safely Redeploy Troops From Iraq

Spending Package Contains Funding for Environment, Transportation and Agriculture Programs Critical to Washington Communities

WASHINGTON, DC – Tuesday, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) cast a series of votes related to the war in Iraq and the omnibus spending package that included funding for programs that are critical for Washington state communities. In the first vote relating to the war, Cantwell voted for an amendment introduced by Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) that would have required the president to safely redeploy U.S. troops from Iraq within nine months. Feingold’s amendment failed by a vote of 24-71.
 
Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) also introduced an amendment Cantwell supported that would have expressed the “sense of Congress” that there should be a change of mission in Iraq by the end of 2008. This amendment was withdrawn because it failed to achieve the required 60 votes and failed by a vote of 50-45.
 
Finally, Cantwell opposed an amendment offered by Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to fund the war in Iraq at $70 billion. That amendment passed by a vote of 70-25. This concluded consideration of the war spending package, and the Senate sent it to the House for a vote.
 
The omnibus spending package appropriates a total of $515.7 billion, including emergency spending totaling $31 billion for the war in Afghanistan, $3.7 billion for veterans programs, and $7.5 billion for various other programs. It passed in a separate vote by 76-17-1, with one Senator voting "present."
 
Regarding the Iraq votes, Cantwell said, “Last night, the Senate voted on a series of amendments to fund the war in Iraq. While I want to do everything I can to ensure our military has the equipment and resources it needs to get the job done, we can no longer maintain an open-ended commitment in Iraq. This conflict requires a political solution and the Iraqis need to take control of their own security and their own future. Ultimately, Iraq’s future is in the hands of the Iraqi people and they must make the political compromises needed to stabilize their country.”
 
 Regarding the Omnibus, she said: "The spending package funds education, water projects, transportation improvements, and research and development programs that are priorities for all Americans. I hope that next year, we can work in a true bipartisan manner to not only find a way forward in Iraq, but to also fund critical domestic priorities that benefit communities across the country."
 
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