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.
Former British prime minister and now foreign minister David Cameron urged the U.S. Congress not to stop supporting Ukraine, saying the West has gotten a bargain in dramatically reducing Russia’s military power for a fraction of the U.S. defense budget.