After comfortably passing the rule for the Kosovo supplemental appropriations bill by a 253-171 vote, with only one GOP defection, House Republican leaders Thursday afternoon turned to their day-long task of passing legislation to pay for a war they do not support.
Only Rep. Gil Gutknecht, R-Minn.-whose amendment to cut the bill's cost in half and offset it was rejected by the Rules Committee-voted against the rule.
In contrast to his hands-off approach to last week's tie vote on a resolution endorsing the air war, Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., made it clear to Republicans and the House that the supplemental must pass. Hastert framed the vote as one of supporting the troops by paying for their mission; the $13 billion emergency spending package includes money for military and humanitarian operations in Kosovo, a military pay raise and benefits upgrade, and military construction projects overseas.
Although the measure is ultimately expected to pass, a number of legislators who flatly oppose the war may vote against it.
Of the amendments cleared by the Rules panel, the House passed by voice vote an amendment by Rep. Tom Latham, R-Iowa, to provide $105 million in offset funds for loans to economically pressed farmers.
The rule also provides for consideration of two more amendments cleared by the leadership-an amendment by Reps. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., Mark Sanford, R-S.C., and Patrick Toomey, R-Pa., to offset the bill with a 5 percent across-the-board cut in fiscal 2000 domestic discretionary spending; and an $11 billion Democratic alternative by Appropriations ranking member David Obey, D-Wis., that pares back defense spending and includes Central American disaster relief and aid to farmers.
In addition, potentially troublesome amendments could be offered under the open rule by Reps. Mark Souder, R-Ind., Ernest Istook, R-Okla., and Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., among others. Istook plans to offer at least one version of the amendment rejected in Appropriations Committee markup to prohibit funding for Kosovo operations without congressional authorization. But should his amendment fail, Istook plans to vote for final passage.
Rohrabacher, along with Democratic Reps. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and Cynthia McKinney of Georgia, will offer his language to ensure that defense readiness funds in the bill not be used to pay for the Kosovo mission. But Rohrabacher will vote against the bill if his amendment goes down.
Souder, who also would vote no unless his language is adopted, has four amendments prepared. Those would shift money appropriated for Kosovo to weapons replenishment; block the administration from redirecting non- Kosovo funds in the bill to financing the Balkans mission; direct all funds for conducting the war to military readiness and munitions; and prevent $400 million for unforeseen military crisis needs from being used in Kosovo.