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Bush Signs Emergency Supplemental Funding Measure into Law

President Bush signs emergency funding legislation May 11, 2005. (©AP/WWP)

Washington -- President Bush praised Congress for its strong support of U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan in passing his $82 billion supplemental funding bill.

Bush signed the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief Act, 2005 into law May 11 at the White House.

The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the compromise measure on May 10 after the House of Representatives approved the bill on May 5.

"I applaud the Congress for its strong bipartisan support for our troops and our continued effort to win the war on terror," Bush said in a prepared statement.  "New democracies are taking root in Iraq and Afghanistan, and America is proud to stand with them.  This legislation will help America continue to promote freedom and democracy."

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said he was "glad that the House and Senate were able to move so swiftly on this legislation.  Our brave men and women in uniform will not relent in their fight against terror, and we must not relent in our support of them."

Bush said the spending law will not only provide support to the armed forces, but also to the diplomatic community and the work it does interacting with other nations.

The funding measure "provides funds for ongoing military and intelligence operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and selected other international activities, including tsunami relief and reconstruction," he said.  And it "also provides additional border enforcement resources, which will strengthen the nation's ability to prevent foreign terrorists from operating in the United States."

The appropriation is actually a compromise spending package that resolves differences between separate House and Senate versions that had been approved earlier.

The key spending sections of the measure include:

· $75.9 billion for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan;

· $4.1 billion for international security programs;

· $1.2 billion for domestic counterterrorism programs;

· $907.3 million for Indian Ocean tsunami relief; and

· $123.9 million for other emergency appropriations.