http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050510/ap_on_go_co/us_iraq_spending
By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer
4 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - Congress approved an additional $82 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan and combating terrorism worldwide on Tuesday, boosting the cost of the global effort since 2001 to more than $300 billion.
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The Senate approved the measure by a 100-0 vote Tuesday. The House easily approved the measure last week. It now goes to President Bush for his signature, which is certain.
The fifth such emergency spending package Congress has taken up since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the bill includes sweeping immigration changes, a nearly tenfold increase in the one-time payment for families of troops killed in combat, and money to build a sprawling U.S. Embassy in Iraq.
Most of the money — $75.9 billion — is slated for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, while $4.2 billion goes to foreign aid and other international relations programs.
The president sent Congress his spending proposal in February and the final bill — a compromise between versions passed by the House and Senate — looks largely like what he requested even though both Republican-controlled chambers had promised to fund only items and programs that lawmakers deemed urgent.
Sen. Thad Cochran (news, bio, voting record), a Mississippi Republican and chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, called the final bill "a genuine compromise between the two bodies on legislation that is of utmost importance to our troops who are deployed in the war on terror and for our allies around the world." Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said the bill was "absolutely critical to winning the war on terror."
Democrats used the opportunity to criticize the Bush administration for its Iraq policies and for failing to go through the normal budget process to pay for the wars. Many also assailed Republicans for tacking on immigration provisions
By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer
4 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - Congress approved an additional $82 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan and combating terrorism worldwide on Tuesday, boosting the cost of the global effort since 2001 to more than $300 billion.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Senate approved the measure by a 100-0 vote Tuesday. The House easily approved the measure last week. It now goes to President Bush for his signature, which is certain.
The fifth such emergency spending package Congress has taken up since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the bill includes sweeping immigration changes, a nearly tenfold increase in the one-time payment for families of troops killed in combat, and money to build a sprawling U.S. Embassy in Iraq.
Most of the money — $75.9 billion — is slated for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, while $4.2 billion goes to foreign aid and other international relations programs.
The president sent Congress his spending proposal in February and the final bill — a compromise between versions passed by the House and Senate — looks largely like what he requested even though both Republican-controlled chambers had promised to fund only items and programs that lawmakers deemed urgent.
Sen. Thad Cochran (news, bio, voting record), a Mississippi Republican and chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, called the final bill "a genuine compromise between the two bodies on legislation that is of utmost importance to our troops who are deployed in the war on terror and for our allies around the world." Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said the bill was "absolutely critical to winning the war on terror."
Democrats used the opportunity to criticize the Bush administration for its Iraq policies and for failing to go through the normal budget process to pay for the wars. Many also assailed Republicans for tacking on immigration provisions