Senate committee passes $58.8B war-funding bill

[unhappycamper]

Senate committee passes $58.8B war-funding bill
By Andrew Taylor - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday May 13, 2010 17:30:56 EDT

WASHINGTON — A key Senate panel approved a $58.8 billion war funding measure Thursday that would raise the total price tag for U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan over the decade to $1 trillion.

The measure, approved by a unanimous 30-0 vote by the Senate Appropriations Committee, blends about $30 billion for President Obama’s 30,000-troop surge in Afghanistan with more than $5 billion to replenish disaster aid accounts, provide Haitian earthquake relief, and make a downpayment on aid to flood-drenched Tennessee and Rhode Island.

The must-pass legislation is the only appropriations bill likely to advance to Obama’s desk until September and is a tempting target for Democrats seeking to add money for a summer jobs program or to help to local school district to retain teachers. But Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye, a Democrat, is resisting such add-ons to build Republican support for the bill.

~snip~

In a break with tradition, the Senate is advancing the war funding measure before the House acts on it. Many of Obama’s Democratic allies in the House oppose war funding and the leader of the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, has not been in any hurry to bring Obama’s war funding request to a vote.

The war funding comes on top of $130 billion in Iraq and Afghanistan money provided to the Pentagon in December.