By Xinhua
Washington : The US Senate has approved a defence bill to authorise additional funds for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The bill, voted by 90 to three Friday, covers the budget year 2008 ending Sep 30 and authorises $696 billion in military spending, including $189 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The bill offers more help to troops returning from combat zones, including 3.5 percent pay rise for servicemen and post-war mental health evaluations.
It establishes auditing system to monitor reconstruction contracts in Afghanistan. It also sets conditions on expensive weapons programmes, authorising the White House to spend $10 billion for ballistic missile defence, about $331 million less than requested.
“Caring for our troops and their families must always be our top priority,” said Democratic Senator Carl Levin, chairman of the Armed Services Committee.
The bill, passed in the House of Representatives this week, is expected to be signed by President George W. Bush into law.
Slightly outnumbering Republicans, Senate Democrats have failed several times since this year in pushing for the defence bill, requiring timetable of troop withdrawal from Iraq.
However, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat, said after the Friday vote “the effort (to change course in Iraq) is not over”.
The Senate is set to vote on a $70 billion war spending bill next week. While Democrats want to attach the money to troop withdrawals, Republicans struggle for a “clean” bill without strings.