Council for a Livable World

IRAN   Iran president urges Arab leaders to accept reform AFP- July 12, 2011 Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad urged Arab governments to heed popular demands for reform at a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, the preside…

IRAN  
Panetta: Iranian weapons used to attack Americans in Iraq
David S. Cloud, Los Angeles Times- July 11, 2011
Supplies from Iran have ‘really hurt us’ in Iraq, says Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, making an unannounced visit to Baghdad. The U.S. may be pushing Iraqi leader Nouri Maliki to request that some troops remain after the withdrawal deadline.

Dozen killed as Iran arms explode at Cyprus naval base
Patrick Baz, AFP- July 11, 2011
Huge blasts in a seized Iranian weapons cache at a Greek Cypriot naval base in the south of the Mediterranean island killed at least 12 people on Monday, state media said.

Pakistan
In Pakistan, analysts say US aid cuts harm American efforts against al-Qaida, lessen US power
Associated Press- July 11, 2011
The decision to suspend more than one-third of American military aid to Pakistan could end up hurting Washington more than Islamabad as the U.S. seeks to navigate an end to the Afghan war and defeat al-Qaida, former Pakistani officials and analysts warned Monday.

Tensions rise along Afghan-Pakistan border
Karin Brulliard and Joshua Partlow,Washington Post- July 10, 2011
Weeks of deadly cross-border shelling from Pakistan and militant attacks from Afghanistan are threatening a fragile thaw between the long-wary nations, raising alarm on both sides about the potential for expanded regional conflict as the U.S. presence in Afghanistan shrinks.

Pakistan’s nuclear-bomb maker says North Korea paid bribes for know-how
R. Jeffrey Smith, Washington Post- July 6, 2011
The founder of Pakistan’s nuclear bomb program asserts that the government of North Korea bribed top military officials in Islamabad to obtain access to sensitive nuclear technology in the late 1990s.

AFGHANISTAN
Patraeus, Leaving Afghan War behind, finds promise in mission
Carlotta Gall, New York Times- July 10, 2011
Just days away from the end of his tour as the supreme military commander in Afghanistan, and the end of a 37-year military career, Gen. David H. Petraeus said he was leaving in the belief that his plan to turn around the war and hand over security to the Afghans could be achieved.

NORTH KOREA
Baird to announce boycott of UN conference over North Korea appointment
Carolynne Burkholder and Tobi Cohen, National Post- July 10, 2011
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird is set to announce Monday that Canada is boycotting the United Nations Conference on Disarmament over North Korea’s involvement, a senior government source told Postmedia News.

DEFENSE SPENDING
U.S. willing to leave 10,000 troops in Iraq past year’s end, officials say
Donna Cassata,Associated Press- July 9, 2011
The House overwhelmingly passed a $649 billion defense spending bill yesterday that boosts the Pentagon budget by $17 billion and covers the costs of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

China says US spends too much money on military
Alexa Olesen, Associated Press- July 11, 2011
he United States is spending too much on its military in light of its recent economic troubles, China’s top general said Monday while playing down his country’s own military capabilities.

(with links to actual votes)

New nuclear bomber: Offered by Welch (D-VT)-Paul (R-TX)-Woolsey (D-CA) to eliminate $297 million in funding for a new nuclear weapons bomber.
Defeated 98-322

Afghanistan war: Offered by Lee (D-CA), Nadler; Woolsey; Olver; Stark; Jesse Jackson, Jr.; Honda; Conyers; Grijalva; Paul; and Amash to cut $33 billion in order to end the funding for combat operations in Afghanistan but provide funds to bring our troops home in a safe and orderly manner.
Defeated 97-322

Afghanistan war: Offered by Garamendi (D-CA): To cut $20.9 billion to wind down the war in a responsible way over the next 18 months so that at the end of the 18 months– December 31, 2012–that there would be no more than 25,000 troops in Afghanistan.
Defeated 133-295

Pakistan reimbursement: Offered by Poe (R-TX): To cut $1 billion from the reimbursement account that the United States pays for the war on terror to reimburse Pakistan and other countries.
Defeated 131-297

Afghanistan war: Offered by Lee (D-CA)-Jones (R-NC): To cut the $5 billion of the Overseas Contingency Operations Transfer Fund
Defeated 114-314

Afghanistan Security Forces Fund: Offered by Cohen (D-TN): To cut $200 million from the Afghanistan Infrastructure Fund.
Defeated 210-217

Afghanistan Security Forces Fund: Offered by Cicilline: To cut $475 million from the Afghanistan Infrastructure Fund.
Defeated 145-283

Afghanistan Security Forces Fund: Offered by Cohen (D-TN): To cut $4 billion for Afghanistan security forces
Defeated 119-306

Funds for Pakistan: Offered by Poe (R-TX): To cut $1 billion from the Pakistan counterinsurgency fund.
Defeated 140-285

Pentagon bands: Offered by McCollum (D-MN): To cut funds for Pentagon bands by  $124.8 million.
Approved 226-201

Pentagon sponsorship of NASCAR races:  Offered by McCollum (D-MN): Limits spending on Motor Sports sponsorships to $20 million.
Defeated 167-260

Libya: Offered by Cole (R-OK) amendment No. 13: “None of the funds made available by this Act may be used by the Department of Defense to furnish military equipment, military training or advice, or other support for military activities, to any group or individual, not part of a country’s armed forces, for the purpose of assisting that group or individual in carrying out military activities in or against Libya.”
Approved 225-201

Libya: Offered by Amash (R-MI)-Kucinich (D-OH) amendment No. 47:
“None of the funds made available by this Act may be used for the continued deployment of United States Armed Forces participating in North Atlantic Treaty Organization Operation Unified Protector.”
Defeated 199-229

B-1 bomber: Offered by Neugebauer (T-TX): Bars retirement of any B-1 bombers; six are slated to be retired.
Approved by voice vote

Child soldiers: Offered by Fortenberry (R-NE): Bars spending on military training for child soldiers in six countries.
Approved by voice vote

Libya: Offered by Rigell (R-VA): None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to support Operation Odyssey Dawn (former U.S. operations in Libya) or Operation unified Protector (NATO operations in Libya).
Defeated 176-249

Military spending: Offered by Mulvaney (R-SC): cut the Pentagon budget by $17 billion, freezing the budget at the Fiscal Year 2011 level.
Defeated 135-290

Libya and War Powers: Offered by Sherman (D-CA): bars spending that violates the War Powers Act, which, according to Sherman, would limit the Administration from spending on any military activities not currently underway. On June 13, the House voted 248-163 for a similar Sherman (D-CA) amendment to the Military Construction appropriations bill.
Approved 316-111

Aid to Pakistan: Offered by Rohrabacher (R-CA): bars any assistance to Pakistan.
Defeated 89-338

Libya: Offered by Gohmert (R-TX):  Limits spending on Libya operations. None of the funds made available by this Act may be obligated, expended, or used in any manner to support military operations, including NATO or United Nations operations in Libya or in Libya’s airspace.
Defeated 162-265

Afghanistan funds:  Offered by Welch (D-VT): Bars spending more than $200 million for the Commander’s Emergency response Program.
Defeated 169-257

Cutting increase in Department of Defense Budget:  Offered by Frank (D-MA)-Campbell (R-CA)-Holt (D-NJ)-Jones (R-NC)-Moore (D-WI)-Paul (R-TX) amendment scaling back the planned FY 2012 increase in the Defense base budget from $$17.3 billion by $8.5 billion. The amendment stipulates that none of the reduction in expenditures will come from payroll for military personnel, Department of Defense health programs and emergency war spending. Given the scale of our nation’s fiscal problems, the proposed $17 billion increase in non-war spending in the reported bill shows an insufficient commitment to the necessity of cutting waste and unnecessary spending.  
Defeated 181-244

Ground troops in Libya: Offered by Conyers (D-MI): Prohibits the use of funds for deploying ground troops in Libya for the purposes of engaging in military operations unless the purpose of such deployment is solely to rescue members of the United States Armed Forces.
Approved by voice vote

Repair of schools on Bases:  Offered by Flake (R-AZ) to reduce Defense Wide Operation and Maintenance by $250 million that was designed to repair public schools on military bases operated by local education agencies.
Defeated 39-380

Reduce funding:  Offered by Flake (R-AZ) to reduce the Overseas Contingency Operations Transfer Fund by $3.6 billion because there is virtually no guidance on how the money should be spent beyond requiring that any obligations be pursuant to the global war on terrorism.
Defeated 118-295

Reduce research and development funding: Offered by Flake (R-AZ) to reduce each of the Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation accounts by 1 percent, or roughly $730 million below the currently appropriated $73 billion provided in this measure.
Defeated 100-321

Same sex marriages: Offered by Huelskamp (R-KS) amendment 77: No funds may be used to implement the curriculum of the Chaplain Corps Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell repeal training regarding the performance of same sex marriage ceremonies.
Approved 236-184

Troops overseas: Offered by Polis (D-CO): None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to maintain an end strength level of members of the Armed Forces of the United States assigned to permanent duty in Europe in excess of 30,000 members and reduces funding for military personnel by $813 million.
Defeated 113-307

Libya: Offered by Kucinich (D-OH) to bar funds for the conflict in Libya unless there is a declaration of war against Libya.
Defeated 169-251

Final passage of the bill:
Approved 331-87

Congressional Records statements in support of Libya military operations July 5, 2011 Sen. John McCain (R-AZ): The fact is this conflict would have been over if we had taken a leadership role and declared a no-fly zone when the rebel forces were on …

I know, I know, it is man bites dog.

I certainly have been critical of the House Republican leadership and their domination by retrograde tea partiers.

Yet the leadership, Speaker Boehner, Majority Leader Cantor and the rest (take a deep breath) deserve praise for fulfilling a key promise.

That is, liberalizing (if they don’t choke on that word) the House floor procedures.

Today, the House of Representatives takes up amendments to the Fiscal Year 2012 Defense Appropriations Bill.  

Under an open rule.

That means most any amendment can be offered, as long is it is not legislation on an appropriations bill and does not add money to the bill.

This is free range time. Amendments can be offered on weapons programs, Afghanistan, Libya, passing audits, aid to Pakistan, Pentagon bands, a new nuclear bomber, missile defense, you name it.

Maybe free range chickens cooked in Pentagon ovens.

The same thing happened earlier this year on the Fiscal year 2011 Continuing Resolution when literally hundreds of amendments were offered, and the Fiscal Year 2012 Defense Authorization Bill in May, where again, many  amendments were discussed and voted upon.

Next up in the House will be the Fiscal Year 2012 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill.  Again, it will be brought up under an open rule.

Moreover, the Republican leadership is willing to have amendments offered that they don’t buy into.  

The House killed the second F-35 engine, much to the discomfort of the Speaker who supports the program. But he let the vote go forward.

Past leadership of both parties has insisted on tight control of the House floor, and limited debate.

The new team in the House promised openness, and has fulfilled that promise in many instances.

Another word of praise – the ridiculous slew of non-binding resolutions the House has adopted in the past in praise of all sorts of worthy birds, holidays, sports teams and the rest have been severely limited.

They were a colossal waste of time.

So now I would propose a resolution endorsing some positive contributions by Boehner, Cantor and their friends.