Troops to get Pay Raise as Bush Signs Defense Bill

President Bush signed a $612 billion defense spending bill for the 2009 budget year Tuesday that includes a 3.9 pay raise for troops as well as providing tuition assistance, money for family housing and other programs.

Nearly $70 billion of the passed legislation is set aside for missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. It also requires greater oversight and more information on contractors involved with Iraqi operations.

It also includes a provision allowing a new missile defense system to be built in Eastern Europe, a proposal adamantly opposed by Russia.

The AP article tells how lawmakers came to compromise with the President:

In reaching a deal, House and Senate negotiators left out language that Bush opposed. Eliminated was language barring private interrogators from U.S. military detention facilities and giving Congress a chance to block a security pact with Iraq.

-Dippold

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