Senate passes Pentagon budget, war funding

[laststeamtrain]

Source: AP

Senate passes Pentagon budget, war funding

By ANDREW TAYLOR (AP) – 26 minutes ago

WASHINGTON — As President Barack Obama weighs major shifts in strategy in the deteriorating mission in Afghanistan, the Senate on Tuesday passed a bill bringing the total U.S. tab for that war to about $300 billion.

The $626 billion measure, passed 93-7, also would ban outright any transfer of accused enemy combatants from the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detention facility into the United States. Current law permits transfer of detainees to face trial or go to prison.

The underlying bill combines $128 billion for overseas military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan with $498 billion for the rest of the Defense Department's budget. An analysis by congressional researchers puts the tally for Afghanistan at about $300 billion and for Iraq at more than $700 billion since Sept. 11, 2001 — totaling more than $1 trillion.

This winter, Obama approved 21,000 more troops to Afghanistan, which would bring the total number of U.S. forces there to 68,000 by the end of the year. The Pentagon bill approved Tuesday funds that deployment.

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gSjpsEKgUIbPQaGJJPMi0uZwsH_QD9B5U1481

[Warpy]

1. But not a single fucking dime for health care for the people

Nor any more funding for unemployment insurance even though it looks like the grim jobs picture is going to stretch for years, not months.

Not a fucking dime to keep people in their homes, not a fucking dime to keep them alive when they get sick, and not a fucking dime for their kids.

And people wonder why approval ratings for Congress are so low!

We the people know what those old boys are really all about, empire for the rich and drop dead for the rest of us.

[Selatius]

2. We spend about a tenth of that amount on the Dept. of Education.

The last numbers I saw, they got about 60 billion for the Dept. of Education. I think it sends the message to our students that they're better off bleeding and dying in some rich man's war than bettering their future. Such is the way of empires.

[villager]

5. oh don't you dare ask our "Democratic majority" Senate for *that*!

Damned uppity peons...

[ShortnFiery]

3. No! Dammit this is so insane ... the people don't get a say. :( eom

[avaistheone1]

6. This is what a failed democracy operates like.

[drdtroit]

10. This is how a third world nation operates, fuck the people!

[valerief]

13. Money, money, money for opium but none for the taxpaying citizens. nt

[excess_3]

4. Same. .nt

[L0oniX]

7. Epic fail

[crim son]

8. I wish I had a dem Senator so I could vote him or her out.

Unfortunately I am saddled with a "moderate" repug who will be in office until she dies if things continue as they have. And why would they not?

SOOOO fucking pissed off. Money available to kill but not to heal.

[Flaneur]

9. We could have used that trillion-dollar war budget for something useful.

Like health care, for instance.

[IndianaGreen]

17. $1 trillion would have given us free health care for all

and free college as well.

[Vidar]

11. There's always money for killing. Life is not a priority.

[stickernation]

15. took the words out of my mouth Vidar.

It really seems that these people are intent on MURDER.

i fear that the news about oil countries abandoning the dollar and bretton-woods is going to lead to an invasion of Iran

and now they have the budget.

oh noez.

[valerief]

12. So how is this being paid for? Won't it add to our deficit? nt

[defendandprotect]

14. What a pitiful shame . . . shame, shame, shame . . . !!!

[Mari333]

16. fuckers.damned scumsucking fuckers.

the United States of America, where whores run the country into the ground.

[classysassy]

18. The scam artist

be they republicans or democrats both parties are running a game on the american people,and they have perfected the scam.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

19. --->

[harun]

20. Where's the fiscally conservative Blue Dogs on this one? Not a peep of course.

[fascisthunter]

21. the fiscally conservative label is just a front

[Romulox]

22. How can Obama sign this and then claim "we can't afford to healthcare for all"????

:wtf:

[jakeXT]

23. k&r