Senate Okays Additional $82B for Wars

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The New York Sun

WASHINGTON – Congress approved an additional $82 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan and combating terrorism worldwide yesterday, boosting the cost of the global effort since 2001 to more than $300 billion.


The Senate approved the measure by a 100-0 vote yesterday. The House easily approved the measure last week. It now goes to President Bush for his signature, which is certain.


The president praised Congress for showing bipartisan support for American troops and efforts to fight terrorism. “New democracies are taking root in Iraq and Afghanistan, and America is proud to stand with them. This legislation will help America continue to promote freedom and democracy,” Mr. Bush said in a statement.


The fifth such emergency spending package Congress has taken up since the September 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 American 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.


Senator Cochran, 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 Frist, a Republican of Tennessee, 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.


The measure requires states to start issuing more uniform driver’s licenses and verify the citizenship or legal status of people getting them. It also toughens asylum laws, authorizes the completion of a fence across the California-Mexican border and provides money to hire more border security agents. The House had included most of the provisions in its version of the bill. The Senate did not but agreed during negotiations to go along with the House.


Senate Minority Leader Reid, a Democrat of Nevada, said the bill comes up short in at least two areas. “We should have received much greater attention in this bill about our ability to succeed in Iraq,” Mr. Reid said. And, he said, immigration reform should have been dealt with later.


Senator Byrd of West Virginia, the lead Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the immigration provisions “were formulated behind closed doors by the House and Senate Republican leadership.”


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