House passes defense appropriations bill

The House passed the $408 billion fiscal 2006 Defense spending bill on a 398-19 vote Monday night, but not before debate was delayed for more than 30 minutes after Rep. John Hostettler, R-Ind., accused Democrats of aiding "the long war on Christianity in America."

"Like a moth to a flame, Democrats can't help themselves when it comes to denigrating and demonizing Christians," Hostettler said of an amendment offered by Appropriations ranking member David Obey, D-Wis., condemning proselytizing at the Air Force Academy.

Obey immediately interrupted Hostettler's floor statement to request that the comments be stricken from the record.

Hostettler initially declined to withdraw his remarks, prompting back and forth negotiations with Armed Services Chairman Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., Obey and GOP and Democratic floor aides on how Hostettler should respond.

At one point, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., also came to the floor, and a series of discussions took place between Appropriations Chairman Jerry Lewis, R-Calif., Defense Appropriations Subcommittee ranking member John Murtha, D-Pa., and a handful of both Republican and Democratic members.

"He said 'Democrats declare war on Christians,' and I won't tolerate this crap," Obey was heard telling Hunter on the House floor when he first approached Obey. "I want an apology."

Hostettler ultimately agreed to withdraw his last sentence, which appeased Obey and fueled his argument for the amendment, which had drawn GOP opposition.

"I would ask the gentleman if he really thought I was being anti-Christian?" said Obey, who is Catholic. "I would suggest that his outburst, and the specific language he used, is reason to pass my amendment."

For the last several weeks, Hunter has been mounting opposition to an amendment Obey ushered through the Appropriations Committee that would require the Air Force to submit a report to Congress on allegations of "coercive and abusive religious proselytizing" at the academy within 60 days of enactment of the appropriations legislation.

Hunter, who batted down similar language offered in the House Armed Services Committee markup last month, attempted to strike Obey's original language during Rules Committee debate last week.

Unsuccessful in the Rules Committee, Hunter instead offered watered-down language that allows the Air Force and Pentagon to conclude investigations into the allegations before reporting back to Congress. Hunter and other Republicans expressed concerns that Obey's amendment would limit religious freedom at the academy.

Obey countered with a perfecting amendment that was nearly identical to his original language. Obey's perfecting amendment failed, 210-198, while Hunter's amendment succeeded on a voice vote.

After the votes on the amendments, Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., told CongressDaily Hostettler's statement was "appalling" and amounted to a "venemous attack" that is illustrative of a "harsh wind of intolerance." Israel serves on the Armed Services Committee.

An Air Force task force report on academy allegations is due Wednesday.

The House debated the appropriations bill for more than four hours, an unusually lengthy debate on legislation that typically sails through floor consideration.

Few amendments were tacked on to the legislation. Among the handful that made it through floor debate was an amendment offered by Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, to increase research funding for illnesses suffered by veterans of the first Gulf War.

An amendment introduced by Pelosi that would have required the Bush administration to submit a report to congressional leaders on the withdrawal of forces in Iraq was struck down by Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman C.W. (Bill) Young, R-Fla., on a point of order. The amendment would have amounted to legislating on an appropriations bill.

The Defense appropriations bill sets aside $363.7 billion in base military spending -- $3.3 billion below the budget resolution.

The $408 billion spending measure also includes $45.3 billion in emergency "bridge" funds to cover the cost of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan from October to March 2006. That figure is $4.7 billion less than allowed under the budget resolution and $3.8 billion less than in the House defense authorization bill.