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Congress Gives $70 Billion More to Occupy Iraq/Afghanistan

HeadlineMay 11, 2005

On Capitol Hill, Congress officially approved more than $80 billion in additional funding for the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, boosting the cost of the so-called war on terrror to more than $300 billion since 2001. The Senate approved the measure by a 100-0 vote. The House approved the measure last week. It now goes to President Bush for his signature, which is guaranteed. The legislation represents the fifth such emergency spending package Congress has taken up since September 2001. It also includes sweeping immigration changes, a nearly tenfold increase in the one-time payment for families of troops killed in combat, and money to build the largest embassy in the world in Iraq. But most of the money—more than $70 billion—goes to the military.

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