US Congress passes Iraq war spending plan

Source: Agencies  |   2008-6-27  |     ONLINE EDITION

THE Senate has passed a US$162 billion war spending plan, sending to President George W. Bush legislation that will pay for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan until the next president takes office.

The package, approved 92-6 yesterday, includes a doubling of GI Bill college benefits for troops and veterans. It also provides a 13-week extension of unemployment benefits and US$2.7 billion in emergency flood relief for the Midwest.

The spending bill will bring to more than US$650 billion the amount Congress has provided for the Iraq war since it started more than five years ago. For operations in Afghanistan, the total is nearly US$200 billion, according to congressional officials.

Last week, the House approved the war funding measure, 268-155. The domestic add-ons were approved separately by a 416-12 vote. The White House has said it supports the combined measure, which technically allowed the measure to advance without senators having to vote specifically for the war funding, a distasteful matter for many Democrats.

The senators failed to resolve differences over home mortgage legislation and the administration's electronic surveillance program. Those matters will await lawmakers when they return from a 10-day July break.

A dispute over taxes continued to stall the mortgage-finance bill, which would allow the government to back US$300 billion in cheaper loans for homeowners facing foreclosure.

The surveillance bill would provide legal immunity to telecommunications companies that helped the government wiretap American phone and computer lines without court permission after the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

It also would make it easier for the government to tap the calls and e-mails of suspected terrorists. Its detractors contend that it does not protect Americans' privacy rights while its champions argue that it strikes the right balance between civil liberties and security. The bill passed the House with a strong majority last week.