“We've heard just too many stories of billions and billions of dollars being spent and the troops not getting what they need, and this Congress has failed in its oversight,” Matheson said. “I think this is a very responsible bill.”

The bill's sponsor, Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., is going to seek to add the language to the upcoming $82 billion supplemental spending bill for the Iraq war, if House rules allow the amendment.

The $82 billion Bush requested Monday will push the cost of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to more than $280 billion, but the Democrats insist that Congress hasn't done enough to make sure the money is being spent appropriately.

“Congress can't continue writing blank checks to the administration,” Thompson said.

Matheson and New Mexico Rep. Heather Wilson also reintroduced legislation that would expand the education benefits under the GI Bill to reservists who don't currently qualify because of a technicality in the law.

Matheson said members of Fox Company, a Marine reserve unit based in Salt Lake City, notified him that they were not entitled to benefits, even though they had served 24 months on active duty, because their time was served in two different deployments.

Matheson's bill would change the standards, enabling any reservist who served 24 months in a 5-year period to qualify for the education benefit.