The US Senate late Tuesday overwhelmingly approved US$6.5 billion dollars in supplemental government spending, channeling the bulk of the money to national defense programs favored by US President George W. Bush.
But the bill, which covers new government expenses for the remainder of the current fiscal year ending on September 30, also contains US$100 million for an international fund to fight AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, reflecting growing concern in Washington about the spreading diseases.
The House of Representatives has passed its own version of the bill, which now has to go conference committee.
"Our military has a number of pressing needs that simply are not being met this year. I have seen it first hand in my home state of Missouri," said Democratic Senator Jean Carnahan, urging bipartisan support for the measure.
In the end, after hours of debate, senators voted for the administration's request 98-1, showing determination on both sides of the aisle to boost morale and readiness among US servicemen.
The vote followed weeks of complains by top US military officials and congressional experts that US military readiness continues to suffer because of low pay, inadequate housing and extended deployment of troops oversees.
"At the same time our force structure was declining in size by almost 40 percent, our overseas deployments for peacekeeping and other military operations increased by over 300 percent," said Senator John Warner, the ranking Republican minority member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The supplemental appropriations bill is designed to partially remedy the situation.
Most of the money -- US$5.9 billion -- is being allocated for military training, maintenance and other readiness programs as well as nuclear weapons projects run by the Department of Energy.
(Chinadaily.com.cn 07/11/2001)
