skip to main content

FY2004 Iraq Spending Bill Headed to Conference

This week, the House and Senate approved conflicting versions of the FY2004 supplemental spending bill for Iraq and Afghanistan.

House Action

On October 17, the House approved, 303-125, the FY2004 emergency supplemental spending bill for Iraq and Afghanistan (H.R. 3289).

As approved by the House Appropriations Committee on October 9 (see The Source, 10/10/03), H.R. 3289 would allocate an additional $86.9 billion in FY2004 for certain programs under the Department of Defense, Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund. The total is approximately $104 million less than the Senate bill (S. 1689) and $139 million less than the President’s request.

Under the bill, $64.7 billion would be provided for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, $18.6 billion would be provided for relief and reconstruction in Iraq, and $1.2 billion would be provided for relief and reconstruction in Afghanistan.

Of the amount allocated for relief and reconstruction in Iraq, H.R. 3289 would provide $793 million for health care programs, including $493 million to refurbish and modernize medical clinics, primary health care services, and hospitals, and $300 million to repair and procure medical equipment for Iraq’s medical facilities. The measure does not include the President’s request of $150 million for a new children’s hospital in Basra.

H.R. 3289 also would provide $190 million for migration and refugee assistance and $15 million to investigate human rights violations and other atrocities committed by the former regime in Iraq.

In addition, the bill would earmark $90 million for education, $10 million for civic education and youth programs, and $10 million for women’s leadership programs.

Of the amount allocated for relief and reconstruction in Afghanistan, H.R. 3289 would provide $95 million for schools and education. Report language indicates that the committee “has promoted Afghan education, especially for girls, for many years during the period of Soviet and Taliban control.” The education funding will “support more extensive teacher training and special efforts to accelerate learning and jump-start schooling opportunities for the 10- to 30-year-old Afghan whose education was interrupted or prevented by 23 years of war.”

H.R. 3289 also would provide $49 million to construct 90 rural health care clinics, which would enable “more than 3 million additional rural Afghans [to] gain access to a basic health delivery system.”

During consideration of the bill, the House approved An amendment by Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-CA) that would transfer $50 million from the Defense-Wide Operations and Management account to the family advocacy program to be used to enhance the domestic violence victim advocate program, and provide additional family counseling and shelter services. The amendment was adopted by voice vote.

The House rejected the following amendments:

  • an amendment by Rep. David Obey (D-WI) that would have required that $18.6 billion, or 50 percent, of the amount provided for relief and reconstruction in Iraq be transformed from grants into loans. The amendment was defeated, 200-226;
  • an amendment by Rep. Obey that would have decreased reconstruction spending in the bill by $14 billion. Of this amount, $4.6 billion would have been allocated for quality of life enhancements for U.S. servicemembers. The amendment would have converted $7 billion to World Bank loans, contingent on a match of 50 percent from allies. The amendment also would have required a detailed report from the President describing how funds in the Emergency Wartime Supplemental Appropriations Act (P.L. 108-11) have been spent, how funds in H.R. 3289 would be spent, and the level and types of funding needed for future years for both military and reconstruction activities. Finally, the amendment would have paid for the entire supplemental spending bill by scaling back the five percent tax cut for taxpayers with an annual income of more than $1 million as included in P.L. 108-27. The amendment was defeated, 209-216;
  • an amendment by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) that would have reduced the amount provided for relief and reconstruction in Iraq by $250 million. The amendment was defeated, 197-224; and
  • an amendment by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) that would have provided $300 million for Afghan women’s programs, including $10 million for the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission and $24 million for the Ministry of Women’s Affairs. The amendment was defeated, 156-271.

Prior to final passage, Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (D-MI) offered a motion to recommit requiring that 50 percent of the amount provided for relief and reconstruction in Iraq be transformed from grants into loans. The motion was defeated, 191-235.

Senate Action

Later the same day, the Senate approved, 87-12, its version of the FY2004 emergency supplemental spending bill for Iraq and Afghanistan (S. 1689), which it began debating on October 1 (see The Source, 10/3/03).

S. 1689 would allocate an additional $87.004 billion in FY2004 for certain programs under the Department of Defense, Department of State, USAID, and the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund. The total is approximately $36 million less than the President’s request.

Under the measure, $66.56 billion would be provided to prosecute the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and $21.444 billion would be provided to help secure the transition to democracy in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

The committee report accompanying S. 1689 states that the committee “strongly supports programs and activities to promote freedom, democratic institutions, and the rule of law in Iraq and provides that not less than $100 million shall be available for democracy building activities in that country in support of the development and ratification of a constitution, national elections and women’s development programs.”

In addition, the committee “recognizes that conflict and decades of neglect devastated Iraq’s health infrastructure, resulting in a lack of medical equipment and supplies, and health professionals with expertise in pediatric medical specialties,” and “is concerned that children with critical health problems cannot obtain life-saving treatments in Iraq.” For these reasons, the committee supports “activities that can have an immediate impact in addressing the needs of these children, such as the Emergency Health Services for the Children of Iraq program sponsored jointly by Kurdish Human Rights Watch and Vanderbilt University Children’s Hospital.”

During consideration of S. 1689, the Senate adopted, 51-47, an amendment by Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) that would allocate $10.3 billion as a grant to Iraq, including $5.1 billion to rebuild Iraq’s security services and $5.2 billion for immediate reconstruction costs. The President would be required to notify Congress if any single obligation in Iraq amounts to $250 million or more. The remaining $10 billion would be provided to Iraq as a loan. The loan would be converted to a grant if creditors forgive 90 percent of all bilateral debt incurred by the former Iraqi regime. Finally, the amendment would express the sense of the Senate that each country that is owed bilateral debt by Iraq should forgive such debt and provide reconstruction aid beginning at the Madrid Donor Conference on October 23, 2003.

The Senate approved the following amendments by voice vote:

  • an amendment by Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) that would encourage the inclusion of women’s organizations in the governance of Iraq and Afghanistan; increase the access of women to land, water, agricultural inputs, credit, and property; provide long-term educational assistance for girls and women; and provide training to military and police on the protection, rights, and needs of women; and
  • an amendment by Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) that would reduce the amount available for relief and reconstruction in Iraq by the amount that is used to repay bilateral debts owed by Iraq.

The Senate considered motions to table the following amendments:

  • an amendment by Sen. Joseph Biden (D-DE) that would have paid for the supplemental bill by raising the tax rate to 38.2 percent for those with incomes of more than $400,000 a year. The motion was agreed to, 57-42;
  • an amendment by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) that would have reduced the amount allocated for relief and reconstruction in Iraq by $5.03 billion. The funding would have been redirected to domestic programs, including $1.8 billion for veterans’ health benefits, $1 billion for school reconstruction, renovation, and repair and class size reduction, and $1.5 billion for capital improvements for federal highways. The amendment also would have expressed the sense of the Senate that Congress should consider an additional $5.03 billion for relief and reconstruction in Iraq during the FY2005 budget and appropriations process. The motion was agreed to, 59-35;
  • an amendment by Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) that would have authorized $5.1 billion in immediate security funding and up to $5 billion for relief and reconstruction in Iraq until April 1, 2004. After that date, the remaining $10.2 billion in relief and reconstruction funding would have been authorized if the President certified that the United Nations had adopted a new resolution authorizing a multinational military force under U.S. leadership in Iraq, with United Nations leadership in political and economic reconstruction. The President also would have been required to provide a detailed reconstruction plan including an estimated schedule for the transfer of sovereignty to the Iraqi people and the withdrawal of troops. Finally, Congress would have been required to approve the release of the funds in subsequent appropriations bill. The motion was agreed to, 57-42;
  • an amendment by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) that would have required that Iraqi oil revenues pay for reconstruction. The motion was agreed to, 52-47;
  • an amendment by Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) that would have provided $879.7 million for HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and research. The amendment would have been offset by a decrease in the funds provided for training Iraqi security forces. The motion was agreed to, 56-43; and
  • an amendment by Sen. Byrd that would have reduced the amount allocated for relief and reconstruction in Iraq by $1.65 billion. The motion was agreed to, 51-47.