6/20/2008

in

The Democrat-led House of Representatives approved of a bill to provide $162 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to the Pentagon.

Justin Zaremba

War funding was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives to pay for another year of fighting in Iraq and in Afghanistan, the BBC reports.  
  
The Democrat-held House agreed in a vote of 268-155 to provide the Pentagon with $162 billion. The bill did not attach any legislation to impose timetables for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq. President Bush opposes such deadlines.  
  
The Senate is expected to debate the White House-supported bill in the coming days.  
  
The passage of this bill allows for the Pentagon to pay for U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan until mid-2009. Significant increases in college education benefits for returning soldiers as well as help for unemployed U.S. citizens and Midwest flood victims have been attached to this bill.  
  
If this war funding is approved by the Senate, Congress will have provided more than $650 billion for the war in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.