Negotiators sign off on war supplemental compromise

After more than two weeks of behind-the-scenes consultation, House and Senate negotiators reached a compromise on a fiscal 2009 war supplemental and plan to officially meet on Thursday to sign off on the package.

The House will formally name its conferees before the meeting, according to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md. The Senate, after approving its version of the bill in May, named the entire Appropriations Committee to the conference committee.

House Democratic leaders expect the full House to take up the conference report next week -- possibly as early as Tuesday, according to a senior Democratic aide. The Senate would take the bill up after the House and, if approved, would send it to President Obama for his signature.

"We will probably have a bill that we will put forward next week along with the Senate, and my understanding ... is that quite a bit of progress was made," House Democratic Caucus Vice Chairman Xavier Becerra of California said Tuesday upon leaving a meeting with House Democratic leaders.

Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., Democratic Steering Committee co-chairman, said he was confident Democrats can get the 218 votes needed to pass the supplemental.

The compromise was struck after Senate Appropriations Chairman Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, said Wednesday he would support dropping a provision that would prevent release of detainee mistreatment photos. Inouye said he still supports the substance of the amendment but is willing to drop it to complete work on the supplemental.

Other senators said on Wednesday they too would support the supplemental even if it does not include the amendment.

"What I hear is that the Pentagon could well run out of money for [the war in] Afghanistan and I am not willing to do that," said Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who supports blocking the release of the photos.

The provision -- offered as an amendment by Sens. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., to the Senate version -- had been an issue for House Democratic leaders, who need the support of at least 18 of 51 anti-war Democrats to pass the supplemental. Democratic leaders need those votes because Republicans have said they would oppose the bill because it includes $5 billion to increase International Monetary Fund lending activity -- something the GOP thinks is extraneous to the supplemental.

But anti-war Democrats, including Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank, D-Mass., have said they would not support the bill if it includes the Lieberman amendment, which they believe is too broad and would weaken government transparency law.

Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., a vocal opponent of the photo provision, said on Wednesday that she expects the provision has been removed from the final version.

House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman John Murtha, D-Pa., said "It will be a tough vote. I think we'll pass it, but it'll be very close."

The bill is expected to include language stipulating that through the end of the fiscal year, accused terrorists detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, may be brought to the United States for trial, but not for permanent detention. Both the House- and Senate-passed bills had stricter restrictions on bringing detainees to the United States, but the White House sought a more relaxed provision.

Murtha said that the White House is satisfied with the language.

Murtha said that the bill includes about $1 billion for the first year of a "cash for clunkers" plan, which would provide a voucher to trade in a less fuel-efficient vehicle for a more efficient one.

The bill will also include about $7.7 billion for H1N1 flu fighting, including $5.8 billion in contingency funds, whereby Obama must notify Congress that the funds will be tapped.

Megan Scully contributed to this story.