When Congress agreed to give US President George W. Bush billions of dollars more for the fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, it also boosted the death benefit for soldiers killed in combat, budgeted nearly US$600 million for a massive new embassy in Baghdad and tightened state driver's license requirements.
Bush, who gained most of what he had sought in the US$82 billion measure, said he would sign the bill into law and praised Congress for showing bipartisan support for the troops and anti-terrorism efforts. The 100-member Senate passed the measure unanimously on Tuesday, and the House approved it overwhelmingly last week.
"New democracies are taking root in Iraq and Afghanistan, and America is proud to stand with them," Bush said in a written statement. "This legislation will help America continue to promote freedom and democracy."
The bill is the fifth emergency spending package Congress has taken up since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. It raises the cost of the global effort to fight terrorism to more than US$300 billion since 2001.
Most of the money -- US$75.9 billion -- is planned for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, while US$4.2 billion goes to foreign aid and other international relations programs.
The bill pays for war costs through September, the end of the current fiscal year. Representative John Murtha of Pennsylvania, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee's defense subcommittee, said the army already is discussing needing another spending bill as early as August.
The president sent Congress the spending proposal in February. Both Republican-controlled chambers had promised to fund only items and programs lawmakers deemed urgent. The final legislation matches Bush's proposed price tag.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Thad Cochran 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."
Democrats used the bill 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 legislation provides money for combat costs, including ammunition, armor for vehicles, weapons systems and other equipment. It also boosts the one-time benefit for survivors of troops killed in combat zones from US$12,000 to US$100,000.
The increase would apply retroactively to families of troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan beginning Oct. 7, 2001.
On the foreign affairs side, the measure provides US$592 million for a secure diplomatic compound in Baghdad, US$230 million for US allies in the war on terror, and US$200 million in economic and infrastructure assistance to the Palestinian Authority. The bill includes US$907 million for expenses and aid related to the December tsunami in Southeast Asia.
The measure requires states to start issuing more uniform driver's licenses and to verify the citizenship or legal status of people getting them. Those provisions have prompted consternation among some state officials, who are threatening to sue.
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