Iraq funding bill signing soon

WASHINGTON, May 25 (UPI) -- The $120 billion Iraq war supplemental bill passed by Congress late Thursday may be just a hiccup in efforts to get U.S. troops out of Iraq.

The Democratic leadership in both the House of Representatives and the Senate promise efforts to get U.S. troops out of Iraq will not only continue but continue with stronger effort following the Memorial Day recess.

The measure, which does not contain the withdrawal timelines of the earlier bill vetoed by the president, passed the House 280-142 and the Senate 80-14 late Thursday.

White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said it could be signed Friday.

"The latest I heard is that we expect it, hopefully, this afternoon," he said. "So the president will go ahead and sign it as soon as he is able to."

Bush had been pushing Congress for a bill he would sign before the Memorial Day weekend, noting that lack of a supplemental spending bill has resulted in the Pentagon siphoning funds from different services and programs for the Army to continue combat operations through September in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Bush Friday was visiting Bethesda Naval Hospital outside Washington to meet with war wounded and their families and to award Purple Hearts, and was then going to Camp David in Maryland for part of the holiday.

Instead of withdrawal mandates, the legislation sets benchmarks -- or markers the Iraqi government the Iraqi government must achieve in security, reconciliation and reconstruction efforts -- to continue to receive U.S. aid.

The bill split Democrats, with moderate lawmakers voting for it, cognizant a "no" vote might suggest lack of support for the troops fighting in Iraq.

Top Democrats on Capitol Hill, however, have made it clear they intend to challenge the president over his authority to conduct the war and whether U.S. forces should remain in the country.

September is shaping up to be a decisive month. The new funding measure runs out at the end of September. Also, the new U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, had said earlier he intends to report the state of progress in the administration's new surge strategy for Iraq in September.