Car Vouchers for Afghanistan

by: Chris Bowers

Sat Jun 06, 2009 at 06:00

Now, they are looking to pass the bill by attaching a popular program creating $4,500 vouchers for new, fuel efficient vehicles when people they trade in older, less-efficient  vehicles. From Reuters:

U.S. congressional Democrats are considering fast-tracking legislation to boost auto sales by offering Americans vouchers to trade in older, less fuel-efficient vehicles for ones that get better mileage, a congressional aide said on Thursday.

The legislation, known as "cash for clunkers," would be added to a pending war funding measure in Congress, but "no final decisions have been made" despite wide support for the voucher program, said Nadeam Elshami, a spokesman for Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The war funding bill is a must-pass spending bill that is largely for U.S. forces operating in Afghanistan and Iraq. Adding the car program would speed the voucher measure's enactment into law.

Perhaps the author of the article is unaware of the actual politics taking place here. The final line should read "Democratic lawmakers likely hope that adding the car program would speed the passage of the supplemental funding bill." After all, this move is not designed to help pass the popular voucher plan, but to pass the war supplemental.

Progressives should try and load up eve more programs like this into the supplemental. It is highly likely that the supplemental will eventually be passed, even if it delayed a while longer. It probably is a good idea to tack as many programs like these onto the bill as possible. Hopefully, even some conditions on the funding can be added. At this point, attaching programs like these might be the only way to get something positive out of yet another war funding supplemental.

Down With Tyranny, Fire Dog Lake, and After Downing Street have more on the supplemental funding bill.