Feingold and Reid Propose Funding Cut for Troops

This article describes Senator Russ Feingold’s (D-WI) latest antiwar bill, which would cut all funding for American forces in the Iraqi War by March 31st, 2008 and leave relatively small pockets of funding for American security forces and infrastructure rebuilding efforts. Feingold notes that the status quo, or what calls the “center of gravity,” for the issue has gradually shifted from broad congressional support for an indeterminate American military presence in Iraq in 2005 towards forcing a withdrawal through one congressional bill or another. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) agrees with Feingold’s progression of antiwar measures, as anything short of cutting funds to American forces in Iraq is unlikely to sway Bush or two-thirds of the House floor. Although the Rules Committee is currently run by a Democratic majority, it is still possible for the Republicans to filibuster to require 60% of senators to end debate on the bill or else trap the bill on the floor until further log rolling results in an amendment that either neuters the bill’s fund-cutting provisions or tacitly redefines “American forces” to exclude more of the troops to create a loophole that enables more of the forces in Iraq to be funded than what Feingold and Reid intended.