The only senators to vote no were Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Russ Feingold (D-WI), and Tom Coburn (R-OK).
Senator Sanders: The bill contains $73 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan without providing, to my mind, the kind of exit strategy to both conflicts that I believe we need.
Senator Feingold: For years I have been fighting to bring an end to our involvement in the misguided war in Iraq. While I am pleased that President Obama has provided a timeline for redeployment of our troops, I am concerned that he intends to leave up to 50,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. I am also concerned that this supplemental may pad the defense budget with items not needed for the war. We should be paying for such items through the regular budget, not running up the deficit to purchase them. Finally, while the president clearly understands that the greatest international security threat to our nation resides in Pakistan, I remain concerned that his strategy regarding Afghanistan and Pakistan does not adequately address, and may even exacerbate the problems we face in Pakistan, problems made even more clear by the current rising tide of displaced civilians.I could not find a specific statement on why Republican Coburn voted nay.
Posted by The Owl at 14:31. Filed under: War and peace
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