November 4, 2003:
The Senate yesterday sent President Bush an $87.5 billion spending package for Iraq and Afghanistan, capping a month of tumultuous debate in Congress over how much of a burden to place on American taxpayers for Iraq's reconstruction.
[...]
"Despite my reservations, I believe that this package will pave the way to the day when our soldiers finally come home from Iraq," Sen. Susan Collins (R., Maine) said.
--Philadelphia Inquirer
1 comment:
I was just leafing through my own archives of that period, because it was about the time U Maine - Iraq business conference was to have been held. I found THIS:
"On cue from the White House, Republican conferees on the recently-passed $87.5 billion appropriation bill for the Iraq occupation stripped a provision that would have established heavy penalties on individuals and corporations who engage in war profiteering.
A detailed November 5 story in The Hill quotes author of the provision and Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, " 'The White House and House GOP leadership didn't want [the provision] in there,'... the language sends the message not to 'rip off Uncle Sam,' ... with the amount of money flowing into Iraq, 'there will be a lot of greedy fingers.' ".
Some kinda "paving", indeed.
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