Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/funding-bill-for-iraq-afghan-wars-stalls-in-the-house Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Transcript The latest infusion of funds for U.S. forces fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan has been delayed by debate in the House of Representatives. Kwame Holman looks at debate and examines what it will mean for troops on the ground. Read the Full Transcript Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors. KWAME HOLMAN: As the House took up the final Iraq spending bill of George Bush's presidency, Democrats already had their eye on how Iraq policy might change with a new occupant of the White House.Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey.REP. DAVID OBEY (D), Chair, Committee on Appropriations: That means that we have to try to find a way to manage this problem in a way that sends a clear message to the public that they're the only ones who can, in fact, muster the power to change direction on this war by electing a president who will get us out of this war.It also means we have to manage it in such a way that we set the table for the new president, to give him at least a few months to think through how he is going to proceed to extricate us from this war, and to get his ducks in a row on Iraqi policy. KWAME HOLMAN: And so Democratic leaders agreed to provide $162 billion, most of what the president requested, to continue the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan into 2009.But Republican Leader John Boehner threw up a red flag.REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), House Minority Leader: Admiral Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, has said we've got to have the funding for our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.We know that, come early June, layoff notices go out to contract employees who work at the Pentagon. Why? Because we can't seem to get this bill finished. And why can't we get it finished? Because we have a bill in front of us that has all types of unrelated spending beyond what is needed to fund our troops.