President Bush says U.S. troops will suffer if Congress fails to pass a funding bill without conditions for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In remarks in the White House Rose Garden Tuesday, Mr. Bush said it has been 57 days since he asked Congress to pass an emergency funding bill for the military. He chastised lawmakers for adding deadlines for withdrawal from Iraq to proposed bills.
The House of Representatives and the Senate have passed separate versions of a bill that allocates funds for the military, but also includes domestic spending measures and a timetable for removing troops from Iraq.
President Bush vowed again Tuesday to veto any bill containing a withdrawal timetable.
Democratic Senate leader Harry Reid said if the president vetoes the funding measure with a withdrawal deadline, lawmakers will craft a bill that cuts off funding for Iraq after next March.
The Defense Department said Monday it is cutting short the year-long home leave of about 7,000 troops, sending them back to Iraq earlier than planned to support the American military buildup.
The Pentagon says the 30,000 soldiers being sent to Iraq as part of a "troop surge" will remain in the country until at least the end of August.