Posted on 06/26/2008 11:02:36 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
The United States Senate has approved additional funding of $162bn (£82bn) for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The bill includes significant extra funding for US war veterans' education and unemployment benefits.
It is a victory for President Bush, and does not include any timetables for withdrawing US troops from Iraq, something Mr Bush vigorously opposed.
With the new funding, the total US budget for Iraq and Afghanistan now stands at more than $800bn (£400bn).
The bill allows the Pentagon to pay for US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan until mid-2009.
It also envisages a significant increase in college education benefits for returning soldiers and help for US unemployed and flood victims in the Midwest.
If brings to more than $650bn (£330bn) the amount provided by Congress for the war in Iraq since the US-led invasion in 2003.
Some Democrats criticised the bill for not setting deadlines for pulling out US troops from Iraq.
Congress did attach two conditions to the funds - prohibiting the construction of permanent US military bases in Iraq and requiring Baghdad to match any US reconstruction aid.
The Dems are acknowledging that the issue’s gone. The MSM are resolutely ignoring it as well. This is what victory looks like.
“It also envisages a significant increase in college education benefits for returning soldiers”
An ugly side of the military brass appeared when they came out against increasing college aid for OIF and OEF vets. Good to know that they were overruled.
Senate finalizes war funding bill
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The bill also provides more than $2 billion in disaster assistance for areas in the Midwest dealing with massive flooding.
Senate Passes Broad War Funding Measure
Democrats' Domestic Spending Intact
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In a 92 to 6 vote, the Senate yesterday approved unrestricted funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that allows continuation of the current military course of action through the end of President Bush's term and beyond.
In exchange for that unencumbered freedom to operate in Iraq, Bush agreed to demands by congressional Democrats to create a new higher-education benefit for veterans and their families, and to extend unemployment benefits.
"There are going to be a lot of veterans in the United States who are going to be happy with the United States Senate," said Sen. James Webb (D-Va.), who crafted the legislation granting the new education benefit.
In the end, the $257.5 billion emergency spending bill, which had been the subject of two months of intense debate and negotiation, won overwhelming support in the Senate and the House, where it was approved last Friday by 416 to 12.
Bush is expected to sign the bill next week.
See #6...and how the Dems can claim Victory!
That Webb is a horse’s ass hothead loudmouth. What a jerk.
Let 'em, so what, it's our troops that matter and on that the FemDems or whatever we call those creatures these days, all they did was buckle their knees so they could feed at the trough.
Let them wallow, maybe they'll drown themselves.
I'm not losing any sleep over it.
I’m assuming that was /s, obviously, he’s not that dim of a bulb.
The Dems just keep punching Bush in the fist with their faces. How much longer can the President take it?
I'm glad you picked up on my words.
W ain't no dimbulb, never has been.
I wouldn't be shocked a bit to learn that Laura had something to do with that.
Cheers, Marie! :-)
That’s $800 billion and counting that we have put on the credit card, along with the Prescription Drug plan, for our kids to pay for some day.
Have a nice day.
Yep, its right up there with the three or more TRILLION dollars we’ve spent on socialist programs since the so called “Great Society”. Not one success attributed to those programs, but the money keeps on flowing down that sewer because we just haven’t done enough. Who is going to pay that bill? How many attacks on the homeland since the War against Terrorism was launched? How come Obama continues to receive support and endorsements from terrorists and thug trash around the world, do they know something we’re too stupid to realize? If he’s elected and follows up with a cut and run will the democrat party spend $800 billion on more sewer programs—or more?
They would have approved the $2 billion anyway in a separate bill because no one is about to have it on the table right before the election and leave open the possibility the Rats and MSM make it another Katrina.
Fiscal responsibility used to be our trademark. Seems to have gone out of favor. The libs were always willing to spend whatever it took to win over whatever special interest group was necessary to win the election.
You fight a war, you pay for it as best you can. You start a new give-away program, you pay for it as you go. You don’t just add it on to the national debt and hope for the best. We can be better than the dems.
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