The Elephant Wants More

_{Wednesday December 19, 2007}

US Senate approves US$70 billion for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate voted Tuesday to provide $70 billion (euro48.56 billion) for U.S. military efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, handing a victory to President George W. Bush and his Republican allies on Capitol Hill.

The 70-25 roll call vote paved the way for the Senate to pass a $555 billion (euro384.99 billion) omnibus appropriations bill combining the war funding with the budgets for 14 Cabinet agencies, and demonstrated again Bush's ability to outmaneuver Democrats in Congress.

Bush was ready to sign the bill, assuming the war funding clears the House on Wednesday.

Democrats again failed to win votes to force removal of U.S. troops or set a nonbinding target to remove most troops by the end of next year.

"Even those of us who have disagreed on this war have always agreed on one thing: Troops in the field will not be left without the resources they need,'' said Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican.

The year-end budget deal between the Democratic-controlled Congress and Bush ended months of battling and disappointed Republican purists who complained the bill spends too much money and contains about 9,000 pet projects sought by members of Congress.

The complicated legislative maneuver calls for the House to next clear the bill for Bush after a vote limited to the war funding, with Republicans supplying the winning margin.

The result would be a twin defeat for Democrats, who had vowed not to allow additional Iraq war funding without conditions and had spent months on legislation to add US$27 billion (euro19 billion) to domestic programs, an almost 7 percent increase.

That is expected to happen because of the Senate's unique rule that requires support from 60 of the 100 senators to bring a bill to the floor.

Even though the Democrats have a slim majority, elected on promises to end the war, Republicans will insist that money for the war be included in the bill before it can be considered.

Republicans held majorities in both chambers of Congress until January, when Democrats took over after winning majorities in both chambers in elections last November.

Bush has stood firm on many issues the Democrats had championed, relying on the Senate rules to rein in the Democrats.

The House first voted 253-154 to approve the omnibus spending bill, which will pay operating costs for 14 domestic agencies and foreign aid; they then voted 206-201 to add US$31 billion (euro21.5 billion) for troops in Afghanistan to the measure and sent the combined spending package to the Senate.

Democrats generally are far more supportive of military operations in Afghanistan, which is considered a defensive war because the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks were spawned there, than they are of the unpopular war in Iraq.

Republicans generally opposed the omnibus measure, arguing that it is unfair to provide money for troops in Afghanistan but not Iraq

They also opposed US$13 billion (euro9 billion) in spending above Bush's "top line'' request for the one-third of the budget passed each year by Congress.

The new legislation also includes military aid, with strings attached, to two Southeast Asian allies:

_$15.7 million (euro10.9 million) for Indonesia, matching the Bush administration's request for a country it sees as crucial to fighting terrorism in Southeast Asia.

_$30 million (euro20.8 million) for the Philippines, up slightly from $29.7 million (euro20.6 million).

Part of the money is conditional on improvements in human rights protections in both countries.

In the South Asian nation of Sri Lanka, almost all aid is cut off unless the government produces evidence of significant improvements in its rights record.

Democrats succeeded in reversing cuts sought by Bush to heating subsidies, local law enforcement, Amtrak passenger train service and housing as well as Bush's plan to eliminate the $654 million (euro453.66 million) budget for grants to community action agencies that help the poor.

To find the money, lawmakers shifted $6 billion (euro4.16 billion) from Bush's plans for defense, foreign aid and military base construction accounts. Veterans would get $3.7 billion (euro2.57 billion) more than Bush requested, supplied on an "emergency'' basis above Bush's budget cap.

Democrats were able to put their imprint on the bill in other ways, restoring Bush-sought cuts to state and local law enforcement grants, aid to community action groups and airport modernization grants.

Taxpayers for Common Sense, a Washington-based watchdog group that opposes so-called pork barrel projects, counted 8,983 such "earmarks'' worth US$7.4 billion (euro5.14 billion).

These hometown pet projects include economic development grants, aid to local transit and police departments, and clean water projects, among many others.