Senate OKs $459 billion Pentagon budget

[ProSense]

Senate OKs $459 billion Pentagon budget

By ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press Writer 53 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - The Senate passed a huge $459 billion budget for the Pentagon Wednesday, after adding almost $4 billion to try to gain control over the U.S. border with Mexico.

The Pentagon spending bill, passed by voice vote, does not include President Bush's almost $190 billion request for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill does, however, award the Pentagon a 10 percent increase of $43 billion, much of which would be devoted to procuring new and expensive weapons systems.

Some $3 billion in emergency border security money was already included in a spending bill for the Homeland Security Department but was added to the Pentagon spending measure in a gambit by GOP leaders to save President Bush from an embarrassing override of his planned veto of the Homeland Security measure. Another $794 million was added to maintain a large National Guard deployment along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The border security spending, especially money to construct 700 miles of fencing to keep illegal immigrants from Mexico from crossing into the United States, is so popular among Republicans that they would vote to override Bush's homeland security veto if necessary to obtain financing for the fence.

The border money was added to the Pentagon bill by a 95-1 vote.

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[babylonsister]

1. Cripes. WarDefenseWarDefense-where's the money tree?

Ugh.


The overall budget for procurement is $17 billion higher than last year and promises to continue to grow. The Pentagon's overall budget, even adjusted for inflation, is more than 20 percent higher than the average Cold War budget and has gone up more than 40 percent since Sept. 11, 2001.

The bill also contains more than 900 pet projects — totaling $5.2 billion — sought by senators, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense, a budget watchdog group based in Washington that opposes such "earmarks."

[chill_wind]

2. $459 billion MORE of our money.... passed by *voice vote*? n/t

[superkia]

3. After all the money that has disappeared without accountability

how can they approve such I huge amount of our money without knowing what happened to the billions lost on Iraq? Oh I forgot, the military industrial complex runs the country and most of our representatives are bought and paid for. Why do we continue to elect the same kind of people in office and look at the ones that speak up against the corruption as crazy or unelectable? I think that makes us crazy that we have fell for their bullshit, hook, line and sinker.

What exactly have the front runners done to be the front runners? I know that they have had the most media coverage but other than that, what do they represent? First they all said the first thing I will do as president is bring our troops home but now that we the sheeple have forgotten that, they say they cant say that they will have them home by 2013 and we the sheeple accept that? None of them have proposed to make health care a right for us, they all want it to remain a profitable industry to help the health care industry continue the huge profits off of our health. Are they standing up and asking for the patriot act to be repealed like Kucincih has? Are they speaking out loudly about the attack on the very important constitution like Kucinich?

Someone please tell me why the front runners are the front runners, please!

What will change for us if one of the so called front runners is in office? What will the difference in our lives be over what the republicans have given us? The way that the republicans are looked at, there should be a huge clear sign of what the differences will be.

[scarface2004]

4. how much goddam money does our totally worthless

incompetent fascist baby killing psycho military need for crissakes?!?!?!?!?!