House Seeks to Stop Funds for New Iraq Embassy

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday sought to block the Bush administration from using $658 million it requested in an emergency war spending bill to build an embassy in Baghdad, a move that could delay construction.
The House voted 258-170 in favor of a measure, introduced by a Republican, that would stop the money being used for embassy construction, maintenance and security.

House supporters of the amendment to the $81 billion spending bill argued that building an embassy could not be considered an emergency. They said because of the tight fiscal situation and record budget deficit it should be considered through the regular budget process later in the year.