Also see:     
AOL/Microsoft-Hotmail Preventing Delivery of Truthout Communications    [

    Defense Spending Reaches Over $600 Billion
    The Associated Press

    Thursday 04 October 2007

    Washington - The Senate on Wednesday approved $459 billion in spending for the Pentagon, after adding $3 billion for security at the Mexican border.

    The bill, passed by voice vote, does not include President Bush's request for almost $190 billion for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill would increase other Pentagon spending $43 billion, up more than 10 percent from the last budget.

    Much of the new money would be devoted to procuring new weapons, including the V-22 tilt rotor aircraft, unmanned drone aircraft, the next generation of Joint Strike Fighters and the F-22 Raptor fighter jet.

    The border security money had been in a spending bill for the Homeland Security Department that Mr. Bush has promised to veto because it exceeds his budget request by $2 billion.

    By shifting the money to the Pentagon bill, Republican leaders hoped to preserve the financing without embarrassing the president by overriding his veto.

    The military bill includes more money for National Guard equipment and military health care and a 3.5 percent pay increase for military personnel.