What exactly would happen if Congress withheld funds for the war in Iraq?

[kentuck]

Would Bush ask the troops to continue to serve without pay? Would a proportionate number of troops hae to be withdrawn? What exactly would happen if they withheld the "supplemental" to pay for the surge? Any ideas?

[crikkett]

1. MIHOP event resulting in disbanded congress

then the chocolate rations and steel drives begin.

on edit: they won't get *my* candy hearts!! Happy Vday everyone.

[mzmolly]

2. Nearly 60% of Americans oppose cutting funds, in spite of the opposition to war.

I don't think they realize Democrats are limited as to what we can do? As to your question, Bush would likely find a way to allocate funds from programs that help people. He's rename the operation and call it a humanitarian mission or ???

[wryter2000]

4. I tend to agree

He's shown himself utterly unable to respond to reality so far. I think he'd just keep the troops there, only they'd be even less equipped than they are now. The only way to end this war short of kicking him and Cheney out, imho, is to convince him that it's in his best interest to withdraw. I honestly don't know what would convince him. Maybe a majority of the R's in Congress telling him that he had to or they'd support the Dems in removing him from office. (Alas, I don't see that happening, either.)

[meldroc]

3. Assuming we had a sane president...

There would be more than enough money in already-passed appropriations, and more than enough supplies & resources stockpiled that the military would be perfectly able to perform a safe, well-defended, orderly withdrawl from Iraq, and redeployment of all troops back to the U.S.

Of course, Bush will probably order them to keep fighting until they run out of gas, money and ammo, let them start taking casualties, then tell the Congress "You abandoned the troops! Look at them!"

For Congress to do it right and put the sick son-of-a-bitch in his place, what they need to do is go to the Pentagon and the GAO, gather up all the beancounters, and calculate exactly how much money it would cost to do a safe, orderly withdrawl. Then they appropriate exactly that amount of money in the appropriations bill, with a clause in there explicitly stating that the money is to be used only for a withdrawl. No other funds go to the troops in Iraq that year. The Constitution explicitly forbids the President from spending money on something without it being appropriated by Congress for that purpose, so that can force Bush to bring the troops home.

Then remember this soundbite: "We checked the numbers. We gave the President enough to bring the troops home."

[wuushew]

5. Bush would just raid the Afghanistan cookie jar

just like he did before the invasion of Iraq. Despite being blatantly illegal he has never been called to task.

[Bandit]

6. Halliburton would suffer first quarter losses

The troops will be fed and paid no matter what happens in Iraq. It is in the Defense Bill. Almost all Iraqi Emergency Supplemental monies are for rebuilding Iraq which ain't being done by our troops..

[jtrockville]

7. Truthdig's interview with Kucinich explains it (link)

http://www.truthdig.com/interview/item/20061116_kucinich_cut_off_funding/