House panel quickly approves $416 billion defense bill

The House Appropriations Committee approved by voice vote Wednesday the fiscal 2005 Defense spending bill, approving about $416 billion in programs that includes $25 billion in emergency defense spending for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Jerry Lewis, R-Calif., said the bill "does involve an enormous amount of money" and includes funding for a 3.5 percent troop pay raise, improved military readiness and bolstered intelligence gathering.

The bill also would fund major equipment and research needs, including a $2.3 billion increase over the president's budget request for ammunition, trucks, helicopters and armored Humvees and other vehicles needed for operations in Iraq.

Committee members offered few amendments to the bill, all of which passed by voice vote.

Lewis offered a manager's amendment that would add $70 million in disaster and famine relief and another $25 million for refugee aid, to address humanitarian crises in Sudan and Chad. Another amendment, offered by Appropriations ranking member David Obey, D-Wis., would require the president to give lawmakers a detailed estimate by Oct. 1 of the costs associated with operations in Iraq and Afghanistan between fiscal 2006 and fiscal 2011, including reconstruction, internal security and economic support costs.