Tea Party Reps Split on War Cash for US in Libya

WASHINGTON — The House's Tea Party Caucus is deeply split over whether to defund President Barack Obama's military intervention in Libya.

The 59 spending-conscious Republicans oppose Obama's decision to participate in the NATO-led operation without consulting Congress. But only 31 members of the caucus voted for a bill to strip federal dollars for American forces there.

Missouri's Todd Aiken said he voted to strip the federal cash because, he said, U.S. interests were not clearly threatened. But Indiana's Mike Pence was one of 27 Republicans to vote against cutting off funding in an effort, he said, to support American forces already engaged in the conflict.

Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, the caucus' chairwoman and a GOP presidential hopeful, voted no on the spending measure. She did not respond to a call for comment.