Free Republic

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...