WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives agreed Tuesday to provide $59 billion to continue financing America's two wars, but the vote showed deepening divisions and anxiety among Democrats over the course of the nearly nine-year-old conflict in Afghanistan.
The 308-114 vote, with strong Republican support, came after the leak of an archive of classified battlefield reports from Afghanistan that fueled new debate over the course of the war and whether President Barack Obama's counterinsurgency strategy could work.
But Obama and top military officials said Tuesday that the disclosure of the documents should not force a rethinking of America's commitment to the war. As Obama told reporters in the Rose Garden, "While I'm concerned about the disclosure of sensitive information from the battlefield that could potentially jeopardize individuals or operations, the fact is these documents don't reveal any issues that haven't already informed our public debate on Afghanistan."
Administration officials said passage of the spending bill, which now goes to Obama for his signature, showed that the leak had not jeopardized congressional support for the war and noted that the Senate passed the measure last week with no objection. Democratic leaders in the House said Congress needed to act to provide the money to troops overseas.
"The president is taking a wise and balanced approach in Afghanistan, and it deserves our support," said Rep. Steny H. Hoyer, the Maryland Democrat and majority leader.
In the House vote, 148 Democrats and 160 Republicans backed the war spending, but 102 Democrats joined 12 Republicans in opposing the measure. (All of Kentucky's representatives, including Rep. Ben Chandler, D-Versailles, voted in favor of the war spending bill.) Last year, 32 Democrats opposed a similar midyear spending bill. Among those voting against the bill Tuesday was Rep. David R. Obey, a Wisconsin Democrat and the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, the panel responsible for the measure.
Some of the Democratic opposition stemmed from the decision by party leaders to strip from the bill money that had been included in the original House version to help address the weak economy at home, including funds to help preserve teachers' jobs. But some of those voting against it said they were influenced by the leaked documents highlighting the U.S. military's struggles in Afghanistan and evidence that elements of Pakistan's intelligence service were helping the Taliban against U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
"All of the puzzle has been put together and it is not a pretty picture," said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass. "Things are really ugly over there. I think the White House continues to underestimate the depth of anti-war sentiment here."
