By ANNE FLAHERTY, Associated Press Writer
December 15, 2007
WASHINGTON - The Senate on Friday passed a defense policy
bill that would offer more help to troops returning from combat
and set conditions on contractors and pricey weapons programs.
The measure reflects the best Democrats could do this year
on their national security agenda while holding such a slim
majority. Powerless to overcome GOP objections in the Senate,
the bill does not order troops home from Iraq, as Democrats
would have liked.
The 90-3 vote follows House approval earlier this week and
sends the measure to President Bush to sign, which he is expected
to do.
"Caring for our troops and their families must always
be our top priority," said Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., chairman
of the Armed Services Committee, which helped write the bill.
The bill, which covers the 2008 budget year, authorizes $696
billion in military spending, including $189 billion for the
wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
While it does not send money to the Pentagon, it is considered
a crucial policy measure because it guides companion spending
legislation and dictates the acquisition and management of
weapons programs.
The bill would authorize a 3.5 percent pay raise for service
members. It also would guarantee that combat veterans receive
mental health evaluations within 30 days of their request and
prohibit fee increases to the military's health care system.
In one provision that is likely to be particularly costly,
troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are guaranteed three
more years of Veterans Affairs health care after being discharged.
Current law gives troops two years to file claims.
Advocates say the extra time is needed because conditions
can worsen over time or take more time to become obvious, particularly
in cases of brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.
At the same, Democrats sought to put controls on the Pentagon's
hefty weapons and technology budget, including missile defense.
The bill would authorize Bush to spend $10 billion for ballistic
missile defense, about $331 million less than requested. The
bill would restrict the money from being used to deploy missile
defense radars in Poland and the Czech Republic until those
governments approved the deal and Congress received an independent
assessment of the program.
The bill also includes several provisions intended to increase
the oversight of contractors and the rebuilding of Iraq and
Afghanistan. More specifically, it would require that private
security contractors working in a war zone comply with military
regulations and orders issued by commanders.
It would establish an auditing system to oversee reconstruction
contracts in Afghanistan that would be modeled after the special
watchdog for Iraq reconstruction.
Final action on the bill comes as Democrats struggle for a
way to pay for combat operations overseas without appearing
to support Bush's policies in Iraq.
Some $70 billion in war spending is expected to be attached
next week to a separate government-wide spending bill. While
Democrats want to tie the money to troop withdrawals, Senate
Republicans are insisting the money be provided without strings
attached.
Holding a narrow majority and unable to muster the 60 votes
needed to overcome procedural hurdles, Democrats are expected
to back down and provide the money.
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