Wisconsin representatives split on Iraqi aid vote By Morgan Felchner News-Chronicle WASHINGTON - In the House of Representatives, the Wisconsin Congressional Delegation split equally on the $87 billion supplemental with four representatives voting for the measure and four against. The House voted 303-125 and the Senate voted 87-12 in favor of the legislation. The bills passed contain differences and will have to be discussed in a Conference Committee. In the Senate, both Democratic Sens. Herb Kohl and Russ Feingold voted for the measure. In the House, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Janesville, U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, D-La Crosse, U.S. Rep. Mark Green, R-Green Bay, and U.S. Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner, R-Brookfield, voted for the measure. Kind voted for the bill despite reservations about the reconstruction budget. Voting against the bill were: U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, who expressed her displeasure with the reconstruction section of the bill and said if she did not get to vote separately for the reconstruction and military budgets, she felt compelled to vote against the entire package, U.S. Rep. Jerry Kleczka, D-Milwaukee, U.S. Rep. David Obey, D-Wausau and U.S. Rep. Thomas Petri, R-Fond du Lac. Numerous amendments were introduced in the House and Senate to convert all or part of the $20 billion reconstruction budget into a loan. The more moderate Senate passed an amendment to convert nearly half of the reconstruction money into a loan, despite strong objections from PresidentBush and administration officials. The House, which is more conservative, gave Bush nearly all of what he asked for, only trimming the package by $1.7 billion. Kind, like many other representatives, struggled with the vote because of the $20 billion in reconstruction funds. After his trip to Iraq, Kind said he saw definite progress in that 1,200 schools are open, 95 percent of hospitals are open and there is more power in the country than before the war, but he said that it is difficult to get a detailed accounting of where the money is being spent. He wanted the administration to be held accountable for where the money was going. He said Congress never received a detailed report of where the initial $79 billion was spent. Kind cited a recent report released by the World Bank, which said only $5 to 6 billion could be spent on reconstruction in Iraq in a year. Due to this report, Kind felt converting part of the $20 billion reconstruction fund into a loan was feasible. He said it would allow reconstruction to begin right away while not having to worry about a loan but not giving an outright gift of $20 billion. Campaign finance reports show third quarter fund raising Feingold leads his opponents by millions in the third quarter with $2,373,114 cash on hand. He is also one of the big spenders of the quarter having spent $409,890. Feingold's opponents, two of whom are millionaires who have yet to interject their personal wealth into the race, raised hundreds of thousands, with car dealer Russ Darrow in the lead with $889,689 and $451,350 cash on hand. Tim Michels raised approximately $556,000 and has $343,646 cash on hand and Bob Welch comes in third with about $300,000 in receipts and $310,000 cash on hand. Candidates Russ Darrow and Tim Michels have spent approximately $455,000 and $255,000, respectively, of their own money since their campaigns began. Green amassed the biggest war chest with $387,370 in total receipts, and $1,007,858 cash on hand. Ryan raised $518,768 and has $903,754 cash-on-hand. Baldwin raised $402,418 in total receipts but has only $204,818 cash-on-hand. Petri had $234,741 in total receipts and $898,646 cash on hand. Obey raised $504,596 in and has $576,897 cash on hand. Sensenbrenner raised $289,414 in total receipts and has $526,428 cash on hand. Kind raised $240,957 and has $521,317 cash on hand. Kleczka raised $123,681 in total receipts and has $414,448 cash on hand. Kind faces state Sen. Dale Schultz in the 2004 election but says he is not concerned about the election right now. "I've got a job to do right now, there will be plenty of time for campaigning," Kind said. He also said that although it could be a tough race, he is doing what he thinks is right which will reward him in the end. "If I do a good job, the elections will take care of themselves," Kind said. Kind has expressed interest in running for Senate but with Kohl unlikely to retire in 2006, Kind is unsure of his future. He said he enjoys his job and you can "never say never." As long as he feels effective, Kind said he will likely continue to pursue a career in the House. Felchner, the Washington Correspondent for WisPolitics.com, is a graduate of UW-Madison and the associate editor of Campaigns and Elections magazine. She can be reached at [email protected].