President Bush has called on Congress to pass a bill to provide additional funds for troops in Iraq without setting what he called an arbitrary date of withdrawal.
At the White House Monday, Mr. Bush said Congress has two weeks before members leave town for the holidays to complete a year's worth of unfinished business.
He said some in Congress are withholding funding for the troops because they want to substitute their judgment for that of military commanders.
He vowed to veto any "irresponsible" spending bill Congress sends him.
Congressional Democrats want to link $50 billion in additional war funding to the goal of withdrawing U.S. combat troops from Iraq by the end of next year.
Mr. Bush also called on Congress to renew anti-terrorism legislation that allows U.S. intelligence agencies to monitor phone calls without court permission if they involve a suspected terrorist and one party in the call is outside the United States.
The president also urged Congress to act on a measure to limit the tax burden for Americans, saying the longer the delay continues, the longer Americans will have to wait for tax refunds.
