Reid, Ensign concerned over plan to rebuild Iraq

Suzanne Struglinski

Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2003 | 9:19 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- The administration's plan to spend $20 billion to help rebuild Iraq does not sit well with Nevada Democrat Sen. Harry Reid or Republican Sen. John Ensign, though each has different reasons for his concerns.

President Bush unveiled his $87 billion emergency request to help the support troops overseas earlier this month, but $20.3 billion of that request will go toward everything from building seven communities -- including 3,258 houses, a grade school and two high schools -- at a cost of $100 million, to providing $164 million in military training and assisting with witness protection programs. This would enroll 100 families of five at $200,000 a person, for a total of $100 million.

The senators support efforts to help the troops but Reid questions the need for moving so quickly with the extra money while Ensign wants justification for the reconstruction programs and protection for taxpayer money.

L. Paul Bremer, the United States administrator in Iraq and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld have been defending the request on Capitol Hill, appearing before committees last week.

"Bremer is king of Iraq right now and I'm not sure that's the position I want to put him in," Reid said.

The Senate Appropriations Committee took up the legislation earlier today, preparing it for full floor consideration.

Ensign said "it's absolutely critical to win the peace," since a loss there could have bigger implications for the overall war on terrorism.

He compared the proposed aid to the Marshall Plan, a huge U.S. aid package that helped Western Europe recover from World War II. Ensign said the president is trying to learn from history.

He said he supports what the president is trying to do but that does not mean he did not have any concerns with the plan.

Ensign, along with other Republican Senators and staff met Monday with national security adviser Condoleezza Rice in an effort to work with the administration on getting the request through Congress.

Ensign said he wants to ensure that U.S dollars are not used to pay back money owed by Iraq to other countries, "especially to the French," he said.

He plans to offer an amendment to the bill to prevent that since nothing would prohibit it now.

Ensign said he also wants justification for all of the proposed programs and also wants to explore the possibility of some of the money being given as a loan instead.

He said the administration was answering questions at Monday's meeting and will continue to watch the bill.

Meanwhile, Reid, who sits on the Appropriations Committee, said he would join any effort to get money to the troops in Iraq, but called the reconstruction request "very problematic."

"The Republicans need to make a choice," they need to give money to the troops outright or look at some of the areas he and other senators are questioning, Reid said.

"We don't support this other money," he said.

He questioned why the reconstruction funds need to be done on an "emergency" basis rather than through another process.

"What's the rush?" Reid said. "They want 40 garbage trucks at $50,000 a piece; I'm not sure that's an emergency."

Among other things, the request would put $150 million toward a $700 million new children's hospital with pediatric cancer services, burn treatment, plastic surgery and high-risk pregnancy care. Reid said Nevada could use such a center and that there are more problems that do not get such money here.

"I am forever reminded about what we need in our own country," Reid said. "There are lots and lots and lots of problems here to solve."

But its not just an issue of money but also process, Reid said.

"If I want to get highways built in Nevada, we have a process for it," Reid said, adding that it took him 10 years just to get a visitor center at Great Basin National Park.

"Shouldn't Iraq go through the same procedure?" Reid asked.

As for comparison to the Marshall Plan, Reid said that plan helped countries recover from a war that lasted 10 years in some places and Congress also heard from more than a thousand witnesses at the time to justify the need for it. He noted too that other countries helped provide the financial aid.

"We can't do this alone. We shouldn't do this alone," Reid said, saying other countries could put some funds toward the reconstruction effort.

Reid said it was unlikely the bill would move to a floor vote this week.

Hearings are still taking place in the House Appropriations Committee and a markup of the bill has not been scheduled yet, according to the committee.