Senate OKs $70B for Iraq, Afghanistan

[The Straight Story]

Senate OKs $70B for Iraq, Afghanistan

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Senate voted Tuesday to provide $70 billion for U.S. military efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, handing a victory to President Bush and his GOP allies on Capitol Hill.

The 70-25 roll call paved the way for the Senate to pass a $555 billion omnibus appropriations bill combining the war funding with the budgets for 14 Cabinet agencies.

Bush was ready to sign the bill, assuming the war funding clears the House on Wednesday. Democrats again failed to win votes to force removal of U.S. troops or set a nonbinding target to remove most troops by the end of next year.

"Even those of us who have disagreed on this war have always agreed on one thing: Troops in the field will not be left without the resources they need," said Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

Twenty-one Democrats and Connecticut independent Joe Lieberman - who stood with Republicans at a post-vote news conference - voted with every Republican present except Gordon Smith of Oregon to approve the Iraq funding.

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