Reid: War Supplemental May Slip Until After Memorial Day

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Tuesday that passage of a massive war supplemental spending bill may slip until after the Memorial Day recess, as the political calculations on the must-pass bill continue.

"It is going to be extremely difficult for us to get from where we are today to completing this legislation in a timely fashion," Reid said Tuesday morning.

"We're going to have to finish our work on Thursday or this war funding bill will not be completed. That may not be the case...But [it is] not [going to be] an easy chore."

The Senate is set to begin consideration of the $194 billion package to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on Tuesday afternoon.

Reid said that work on the bill will be complicated by the absence of several senators this week, including all three presidential candidates and Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass), who is recovering after suffering a seizure in Cape Cod over the weekend.

The delay did not sit well with Senate Republicans, who have been agitating for months for quick action on a "clean" supplemental bill, which does not include domestic spending.

"The Senate must pass a bill funding our troops free of restrictions on their ability to win and free of spending unrelated to this mission," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

"And we must do it by Memorial Day."
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