US Congress approves 427.6 billion dollar Defense Bill
'Pakistan Times' Foreign Desk

WASHINGTON (US): The House of Representatives late Tuesday approved a 427.6 billion dollar defense bill for fiscal 2007 that included an extra 50 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan, but was four billion short of what the White House had requested.

Passed by a 407-19 vote, the bill, excluding the extra money for Iraq, brings the Pentagon's budget for the fiscal year beginning in October to 377.6 billion dollars, almost 20 billion more than the 2006 defense budget.

The bill the Senate has to pass its own budget measure -- was four billion dollars short of what the administration of President George W. Bush had requested for fiscal 2007, but it included an additional 50 billion dollars for the war effort in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The extra money would bring congressional budget authorizations for the war on terror waged by the United States since September 11, 2001, to 438 billion dollars, according to congressional researchers.●