The Congressional Research Service has cranked out a 76-page overview of the major issues that lie ahead for the new Congress. Heading the list, of course, is “what to do in Iraq.” The CRS notes that lawmakers must, in addition to evaluating the Iraq Study Group recommendations, decide what role Congress must play, suggesting that the issue of supplemental appropriations for Iraq and Afghanistan could be the pivotal tool in any debate. CRS includes overall defense spending in its list of “major issues.”
With a fresh directive from the president, the department could opt to repeat its unconventional—and potentially unlawful—move to pay troops using unused non-personnel appropriations.
