Democrats to cut timeline from Iraq war-funding bill

WASHINGTON – In grudging concessions to President Bush, Democrats intend to draft an Iraq war-funding bill without a timeline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops and shorn of at least some of the billions they want for domestic programs, officials said Monday.

The legislation would include the first federal minimum wage increase in more than a decade, a top priority for the Democrats who took control of Congress in January, the officials added.

While details remain subject to change, the measure is designed to close the books by Friday on a bruising struggle between Bush and the Democratic-controlled Congress over the war. It would provide funds for military operations in Iraq through Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year.

Democrats in both houses are expected to seek other opportunities later this year to challenge Bush’s handling of the unpopular conflict.

Bush vetoed one Iraq measure this spring, citing a troop withdrawal timeline and additional spending that Democrats included. The rejected legislation included $21 billion more than the president requested, and while some of it was targeted for the military, most of it was for domestic programs.

One major uncertainty involved the spending that Democrats in both houses hope to include for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, farmers hit by natural disaster, low-income children’s health and other programs.

The officials who spoke did so on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to discuss developments before they were presented to the House rank and file.