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.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was