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[Via Communist Internet... http://www.egroups.com/group/Communist-Internet ] [Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ] . .US Senate Approves 318 Billion Dollar Defense Bill. U.S. Senate on Saturday approved a 318 billion dollar defense bill for fiscal 2002 and a 20 billion dollar compromise anti-terror package which was attached to the defense bill. U.S. Senate on Saturday approved a 318 billion dollar defense bill for fiscal 2002 and a 20 billion dollar compromise anti-terror package which was attached to the defense bill. The defense bill, which was passed on a voice vote early on Saturday, provides the military 27 billion dollars more than the fiscal 2001 measure, but the amount is still 1.9 billion dollars below President George W. Bush's budget request. The bill grants 7 billion dollars for development of the missile defense plan and gives Bush the option of using an additional 1.3 billion dollars for missile defense or switching it to homeland security. It increases the pay for the troops by five percent and boosts health care and retirement benefits for them. The measure also provides 61 billion dollars for new weapons procurement and allows the Air Force to lease up to 100 Boeing 767s to replace an aging fleet of KC-135 air tankers. The Senate killed a Democratic-written 35 billion dollars anti- terror package but approved the 20 billion dollars alternative submitted by the Democratic Party. Bush, who repeatedly threatens to veto anything exceeding 20 billion dollars, congratulated the passage of the smaller anti- terror package, saying the measure honored the agreement he reached with the Congress and resisted "unnecessary nondefense spending." "We have ensured the funding necessary to recover from the September 11 attacks and to protect and defend our homeland," Bush said in a written statement. Three days after the September 11 attacks, Congress approved 40 billion dollars emergency spending bill. According to the bill, President Bush controls half of the money, but lawmakers must vote anew on the details of the second 20 billion dollars. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives approved a 318 billion dollars defense bill and a 20 billion dollars anti- terrorism package last week. The Senate and the House must work out the differences between the two measures in a conference. The 20 billion dollars package approved by the Senate early Saturday shifted about 7 billion dollars that Bush wanted for defense and other programs to efforts tightening domestic security and helping New York and other areas recover from the September 11 attacks. Congressional sources said one reason Democrats agreed to a smaller anti-terrorism package is that they were unwilling to delay indefinitely a wartime spending bill for the military. According to the new, smaller Democratic anti-terrorism plan, 8. 5 billion dollars will be allocated for countering bioterrorism and other domestic security programs, 4.1 billion dollars more than Bush requested; 9.5 billion dollars are for the New York and Washington metropolitan areas to recover from the attacks, 3.2 billion more than Bush asked; and 2 billion dollars for defense, 5. 3 billion dollars less than Bush asked. **** ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9WB2D Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
