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The House on Friday voted 409-4 to okay a $118.7 one million million fiscal year 2009 Military Construction-Veterans Affairs appropriations flyer (HR 6599), CQ Today reports.
The statute law includes $72.7 1000000000000 in discretionary spending, an $8.8 billion increase from FY 2008 and $3.4 billion more than President Bush requested (Johnson, CQ Today, 8/1). Under the bill, VA would receive $47.7 billion in discretionary spending, a $4.6 1000000000000 increase from FY 2008 and $2.9 billion more than Bush requested (Sanchez, CongressDaily, 8/1). Before the passageway of the bill, lawmakers proposed four-spot amendments related to health care for veterans, trey of which were indrawn and unrivalled of which was denied a vote on a point of order (CQ Today, 8/1).
The White House on Wednesday said that Bush would veto the bill unless Congress finds $2.9 billion in offsets in other appropriations bills to meet the overall spending level he requested (CongressDaily, 8/1). However, "Democrats are determined to boost spending for samara domestic priorities -- and for veterans," CQ Today reports. According to a Senate Appropriations Committee aide, the Senate plans to consider a different rendering of the bill (S 3301) in September (CQ Today, 8/1).
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