Senate passes bill to fund VA, military construction

The Senate passed a $109.3 billion fiscal 2008 Military Construction-Veterans Affairs spending bill on a 92-1 vote Thursday after adding $100 million for security at next year's presidential nominating conventions.

The underlying bill provides a combined $4.1 billion above Bush's request and $11.7 billion above the current year after accounting for emergency funds provided in the spring Iraq war supplemental. Despite the price tag, Bush has indicated he will sign the bill; Republicans in both chambers informed him earlier this year that a veto would probably be overridden because of its politically sensitive increases for veterans' programs.

Only Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., voted against the bill. Demonstrating the bipartisan support, Military Construction-VA Appropriations ranking member Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, touted $1.5 billion in the measure that would be steered to military installations in her home state.

The amendment to add funds for the conventions in Minneapolis-St. Paul and Denver was authored by Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., underscoring the bipartisan resistance to the tight budget caps sought by Bush.

Among the Senate's presidential candidates, the 76-15 vote on the Coleman amendment saw Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., join Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., in support, while Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., voted "no." Democratic Sens. Barack Obama of Illinois, Foreign Relations Chairman Joseph Biden, D-Del., and Banking Chairman Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., were absent.

Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., led the opposition to Coleman's amendment, arguing the two convention cities should have accounted for the costs when they submitted bids to host the conventions, and at the least the funds should be offset rather than designated as an emergency.

"Did they bid to lose money? Did they bid to attract people into those states so they could make money on the convention?" Bunning asked. "And the way that it's done with emergency spending is a farce. We do this when we can't pay for it in the normal budgeting manner."

Coleman assured senators that strict auditing requirements would be included, and invoked terrorist attacks as evidence convention security should not be done on the cheap. "I would not want to be standing here in the Senate saying 'I wish we had done more,' " Coleman said.

Overall, the measure provides $87.5 billion for the Veterans Affairs Department, a 10 percent boost over this year, including a $3.2 billion increase for veterans' medical programs.

The bill also provides a record $21.6 billion for military construction projects, with more than half slated for continuation of the base realignment and closure program and for the White House's plan to increase the end strength of the Army and Marine Corps by 92,000 troops over five years.

The Appropriations Committee added $391.5 million to Bush's request, largely for state-specific projects in support of the National Guard and Reserves.