May 16 (Bloomberg) -- The Senate today will hold symbolic votes on four proposals related to the Iraq war as it moves toward negotiations with the House of Representatives on compromise war-funding legislation.

Senators will consider two Democratic and two Republican Iraq amendments to an unrelated water project spending measure as a way to gauge support for different Iraq policies before negotiations begin with the House.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the Iraq votes will ``provide strong guidance'' to negotiators and ``help shape the conference negotiations we have ahead of us.''

Congressional leaders have pledged to finish work on a new military spending bill by the end of the month after President George W. Bush vetoed an earlier $124.2 billion version because it would have required U.S. troops to begin withdrawing from Iraq later this year.

The Senate also is scheduled to hold a procedural vote tomorrow on a placeholder measure as a way to ``smooth passage'' of the issue into negotiations with the House on the final legislation, Republican leader Mitch McConnell said.

The Bush administration stepped up pressure on Congress to approve new funding legislation yesterday by announcing that the Defense Department is making its fifth transfer of money to pay for operations in Iraq.

The military was notifying congressional leaders that $1.4 billion would be taken from Navy and Air Force accounts to cover a shortfall in Army funds caused by the Iraq conflict, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said. Such transfers have totaled $4.9 billion this year.

``The funding is going to last about a week,'' Snow said at a regular White House briefing.

Waiver

The Senate votes today will be on two Democratic proposals: letting Bush waive the withdrawal requirement that was in the earlier legislation; and cutting off funds for the war after March 31, 2008. The Republican measures would set up presidential reporting requirements for progress in Iraq; and express support for passage of a war-spending measure that Bush would approve.

Democratic Senators Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois, both presidential candidates, announced their support for the measure that would require the withdrawal of U.S. troops by next year, a proposal by Wisconsin Democrat Russell Feingold. The candidates hadn't previously endorsed the measure.

``Democrats are united in fighting to change course, redeploy our troops out of Iraq, and end this war as soon as possible,'' Clinton said in a statement.

Edwards

The third leading candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, former North Carolina Senator John Edwards, has called on Congress to pass legislation bringing the war to an immediate end. ``The best way to support the troops is to end the war and bring them home,'' he said in a statement yesterday.

The House last week passed $95.5 billion in war spending, but withheld $52.8 billion unless Bush can certify by July 13 that Iraq's government is making progress toward ending the war.

Bush has vowed to veto the House proposal, as well as any measure that sets a date for withdrawing from Iraq even if Bush is able to waive any timetable, as proposed in an amendment introduced by Michigan Democrat Carl Levin.

`Unacceptable'

``When you have a deadline for withdrawal, that's unacceptable,'' Snow said. Such a policy ``would have devastating consequences, creating a vacuum within Iraq and making it very difficult for the government to survive.'' It also would create ``a safe haven for al Qaeda.''

One of the two Republican proposals to be voted on today, introduced by John Warner of Virginia, would require Bush to submit regular reports to Congress on progress by the Iraq government in meeting certain goals, such as drafting legislation to share oil revenue, holding provincial elections and reducing violence.

The second Republican proposal to be considered, sponsored by Mississippi Republican Thad Cochran, expresses the ``sense of the Senate'' that lawmakers should approve a war-funding bill that Bush can sign by the end of next week.

To contact the reporter on this story: Nicholas Johnston in Washington at njohnston3@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: May 16, 2007 06:07 EDT