House Agrees to War Appropriation Bill

As per the Washington Post reports, the $257.5 billion War Appropriations Bill (HR 2642) has been passed by the House. The bill has been passed along with a clause that allows for the delay of six Medicaid regulations that have been proposed by the Bush government. The approval was given via two votes- for war spending (268-115) and another for domestic programs and spending (416-12).

 The passage of this bill was no easy task. It took weeks of negotiations between the Democrats, the White House and the chambers. It is being heralded as a victory for many Republicans, Democrats and governors all over the country against the irresponsible Bush administration that has designed these rules to cut down on Medicare expenses.
 

Along with the promised Medicaid provision, a $1 billion amount will also be provided for the domestic programs. Included in the fund are $150 million for FDA, $4.6 billion for military construction (including the Walter Reed Army Medical Center at the National Naval Medical Centre) and $2.2 billion on health care for war veterans as well as military hospitals.

The House version of this bill is likely to be considered by the Senate sometime next week. Looking at the military’s lack of monetary resources, a reluctant bunch of Senate Democrats finally agreed to the deal that the House Democrats made with the GOP leadership and the White House.