House Democrats leave Gitmo money out of bill

? Amid fears that terror suspects could be brought to the U.S., House Democrats on Monday rebuffed the Obama administration’s request for $50 million to relocate prisoners from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey, D-Wis., dropped the request from a $94.2 billion measure funding military and diplomatic efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan through the fall.

At the same time, Obey served notice that President Barack Obama’s move to boost troop levels and increase the tempo of military operations in Afghanistan had better show results or else he would rethink his support of the effort.

The bill, which was released to key lawmakers Monday, registers about $9 billion more than Obama’s $84.9 billion request, reflecting additional money for procurement of cargo planes, armored combat vehicles, helicopters and other items. About $3 billion was added above Obama’s $7 billion request for foreign aid accounts, including security aid to Israel, funding to help Mexico fight drug cartels, and $100 million to fight AIDS and other diseases in places like Haiti and the Congo.

Obey also boosted the administration’s $1.5 billion request to fight a possible flu pandemic to $2 billion.