House Passes $612-Billion Defense Bill

Team Infidel

Forum Spin Doctor
Los Angeles Times
September 25, 2008
Pg. 19

From Times Wire Reports
The House passed a mammoth package for the Pentagon that contains a pay raise for troops and billions of dollars for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The 392-39 vote sent the $612-billion defense authorization bill to the Senate, which was expected to pass it this week.
To earn President Bush's signature rather than a veto, House and Senate negotiators dropped several provisions he opposed, including a ban on private interrogators in U.S. military detention facilities.
The measure would permit $612.5 billion in spending for national defense programs in 2009, including $68.6 billion for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. It also includes a 3.9% pay increase for military personnel.
A separate bill would have to be passed to spend the money cleared by the authorization bill.
 
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