Senate approves $81 billion war-spending bill

By Matthew Korade
Star Senior Writer
04-22-2005

The Senate approved an $81 billion war-spending bill Thursday that appropriates millions for military programs in Anniston and Huntsville, and increases the death benefits paid to families of soldiers killed in action. The Senate version and a House version of the measure now must be reconciled before a final bill can be sent to the president. The bill includes funding for several military programs benefiting Alabama military installations, including $44 million for the Stryker infantry vehicle, which is built at the Anniston Army Depot, and $12 million for the development of advanced weapons systems for the vehicle that will be performed at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville. “This program is a critical part of the Army's transformation effort,” said Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa, “and I am pleased that Anniston is helping to lead the Army into the future.” The bill also acknowledges the need for more funding for chemical demilitarization, also performed at the Anniston Army Depot, and instructs the Department of Defense to obligate funds for the demilitarization sites in Blue Grass, Ky., and Pueblo, Co., immediately. The bill states the senators’ disapproval of the use of appropriations for studies examining the feasibility of transporting chemical munitions across state lines. “This is an important step for the Anniston Army Depot,” Shelby said. “I shared the concerns of many regarding the announcement by the Army Chemicals Material Agency that they were to study the transportation of chemical weapons across state lines.” Additional appropriations of $19 million will go toward fielding a tactical wireless network directly linking soldiers to imagery and sensor information from surrounding aircraft into a handheld device kept with them on the ground. The program is being developed in Huntsville. In addition, the bill includes a proposal by Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Mobile, to pay as much as $500,000 to the families of military personnel killed since the Afghanistan war began in 2001. It would allow an increase in the death payment from about $12,400 to $100,000 for all service members who die on active duty, and their maximum life insurance benefit would be increased from $250,000 to $400,000. “There is no amount of compensation that can replace the loss of a loved one,” Sessions said. “Not for a soldier, not for a police officer, not for a teacher or a fireman. However, our military service members volunteer to leave their families and engage in a very difficult and dangerous campaign to defeat terrorists and secure peace and prosperity not only for America but for countless millions around the world. The enhanced death gratuity and life insurance benefit included in this bill reflect the risks and dangers faced by our service men and women as they serve us around the world.” The bill would push the total cost of combat and reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan to more than $300 billion. Both the Senate and House versions of the measure would give President Bush much of the money he requested. But the bills differ over what portion should go to military operations. The Pentagon says it needs the money by the first week of May, so Senate and House negotiators are expected to act quickly to send the president a final bill. Other issues to be resolved in the competing versions include immigration changes, a U.S. embassy in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, military death benefits and the fate of an aircraft carrier. “I’m confident we will be able to come back with a product, in the form of a conference report, which the Senate can support,” said Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. He said the bill gives strong support to troops in the fight against terrorism and provides needed dollars for the State Department. Overall, the Senate version would cost about $81 billion, compared with the $81.4 billion the House approved and the $81.9 billion that Bush requested. Congress has passed four similar emergency spending measures for the wars since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. This one would put the overall cost of combat and reconstruction efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan — as well as Pentagon operations against terrorists worldwide — past $300 billion. The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service says lawmakers previously approved $228 billion. The latest money is to last through Sept. 30, the end of the current budget year. Pentagon officials have said they will have to ask for more money for 2006. In both the House and Senate, lawmakers struggled to give troops whatever they needed and pay only for projects deemed urgent. Congress was leaving other items to be dealt with in the regular budget for the new budget year starting Oct. 1. In doing so, they were sending a message to the White House that it cannot expect a rubber stamp from Congress on its emergency war-spending requests. Still, as Bush requested, the bulk of the money — about $75 billion — would go to the Pentagon. The Army and the Marine Corps, the two service branches doing most of the fighting, would get the most. The House bill would add money to the president’s request for defense expenses; the Senate’s would not. The Senate version would restore some money the House cut for foreign aid and State Department programs. The Senate bill also would provide $592 million to build a U.S. embassy in Baghdad. The House bill does not fund the construction of a fortified diplomatic compound. The Senate added a requirement that the Pentagon report every three months to Congress on how many Iraqi security forces are trained and how many U.S. troops are needed. The Senate also put in a requirement that the Pentagon keep intact the Navy’s fleet of 12 aircraft carriers. The Pentagon had proposed scrapping one carrier to save money. The Senate version would increase a one-time benefit for the families of soldiers killed to $100,000 from $12,000, regardless of whether the deaths occurred in combat, and would increase life insurance as well. The House version limits the additional money to survivors of those killed in combat-related duty. One of the most contentious issues facing congressional negotiators is whether to include an immigration overhaul in the final bill. The Senate decided to take up immigration later.

About Matt Korade

New York native Matt Korade is senior writer for The Anniston Star.