House Democrats are working toward a consensus for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. Peter Cohn and Christian Bourge of Congress Daily report that Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) has a plan that would establish a timetable for withdrawal and mandate that the Iraqi government meet benchmarks within that context. The Democrats have been stalling the budget resolution and the Iraq supplemental spending bill as a result. “What we’re trying to do it make policy, not just points,” said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), according to The Hill’s Mike Soraghan. Resolving the issue “has taken longer than we thought it would,” he said. He also said members are discussing a way to allow caucus members to offer an amendment on the floor during the Iraq debate for a full troop withdrawal.
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
