Congress passes defense bill
CAPITOL HILL Congress has approved a 477 (b) billion-dollar defense bill. It includes a military pay raise and new money for Iraq and Afghanistan. There was little conflict over the bill. The House approved the measure by 359-to-14. The Senate gave its blessing by voice vote. Neither chamber debated the legislation before sending it to President Bush.
The bill includes an across-the-board three-and-a-half-percent pay raise for military personnel and expanded health care for reservists. It also provides 25 (b) billion dollars to support operational costs for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The legislation would overhaul the way sickened nuclear weapons industry workers are compensated and let South Carolina and Idaho store radioactive waste from Cold War bomb projects.
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