GERLACH: House Leaders Let Another Billion-Dollar Bailout Get in the Way of Bipartisan Troop Funding Bill

By THE OFFICE OF CONGRESSMAN JIM GERLACH (R-6)

Washington – Congressman Jim Gerlach (PA-6th District) on May 14 joined with 367 Republican and Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a Supplemental Appropriations bill that would have provided $81.3 billion to support our men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Because of differences between the House and Senate versions of the legislation, a conference committee made up of leaders from both chambers was asked to come up with a final version.

And now a month later, House leaders sent a final bill (H.R. 2346) to the floor that will cut funding for our troops in harm’s way by about 5 percent – or $4.2 billion — and send approximately $5 billion of U.S. taxpayers’ money to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

“They say time heals wounds, but the past month certainly has not produced a better piece of legislation to provide the resources our brave men and women defending this country need,” Gerlach said. “I am as frustrated as the folks in the 6th District who are trying to figure out how a $5 billion bailout for foreign countries got tangled up in a troop funding bill. If House leaders believe the IMF needs $5 billion, then let’s have an honest, fair debate about that. But we shouldn’t be muddying the waters with a bill that hands money to the IMF while at the same time slicing funding for our troops.”

Gerlach added he is deeply concerned that the IMF may use the $5 billion to loan money to Iran, Venezuela and other countries hostile to the United States.

The measure the House narrowly adopted Tuesday by a 226-202 margin does not include a provision prohibiting the release of terrorist detainee photos. The U.S. Senate had included a ban on the release of photos in its version of the legislation.

President Obama has said that he strongly opposes releasing the photos because they could become instruments of propaganda against U.S. troops.

And General David Patreaus, the leader of U.S. Central Command, has said that releasing the photos could have a “destabilizing effect” on Pakistan and other U.S. allies trying to combat al Qaeda’s terror network.

What A Difference A Month Can Make

Here is a comparison of the supplemental war spending bill that passed the House on May 14 and the one that passed on Tuesday.

House vote totals

May 14: Passed 368-60 with 200 Democrats and 168 Republicans voting in favor of passage.

June 16: Passed 228-206 with 221 Democrats and 5 Republican voting in favor of passage.

Funding for Iraq and Afghanistan missions

May 14: $81.3 billion

June 16: $77.1 billion

Military Construction, State Department, IMF, flu preparedness and other spending

May 14: $15.4 billion

June 16: $28.7 billion

Total cost of legislation

May 14: $96.7 billion

June 16: $105.8 billion

(Sources: Congressional Quarterly and GOP.gov Legislative Digest)

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