Posted by
Defend America on Saturday, September 27, 2008 7:19:59 PM
Bill To End Offshore Drilling Ban Passes
Omnibus Spending Bill, Heavy On Defense, Heads To Bush; Includes Aid To Disaster Victims, Loans To Auto Companies
WASHINGTON, Sept. 27, 2008
(CBS/AP) Senators
have passed a spending bill that aids Gulf Coast disaster victims and
subsidizes federal loans for automakers. President Bush is expected to
sign the measure despite some reservations.
The 78-12 vote Saturday also lifts a quarter-century ban on oil
drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. That's a big victory for
Republicans.
The $634 billion bill also would provide money to keep the
government running past the current budget year, which ends Tuesday,
and keep domestic agencies at current levels until March - effectively
punting their budgets to the next president and Congress.
The measure is dominated by $488 billion for the Pentagon, $40
billion for the Homeland Security Department, and $73 billion for
veterans' programs and military base construction projects - amounting
to about 60 percent of the budget work Congress must pass each year.