US Senate approves $288 bln military spending bill

By John Whitesides\Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate gave final approval Thursday to a $288 billion spending bill for the U.S. military, brushing aside charges the measure was riddled with special-interest, pork-barrel spending.

On an overwhelming 90-10 vote, the Senate backed a fiscal 2001 spending measure approved by the House of Representatives last week that would boost military pay and broaden pharmacy access for military retirees.

Supporters said the bill was crucial to improving the quality of life for troops, boosting recruitment and retention rates for the military and increasing operational readiness.

But Arizona Sen. John McCain and Texas Sen. Phil Gramm, both Republicans, said it included more than $7 billion in "outrageous pork-barrel spending" that was not requested by the Pentagon.

"This is a disgrace," McCain said of the spending measure. "It has millions and millions and millions of dollars devoted to projects that have nothing to do with national defense."

The legislation, the result of a House-Senate negotiating conference that worked out spending differences between the two chambers, now goes to President Clinton for his expected signature.

The conference report had been blocked in the Senate by McCain and Gramm, who wanted appropriators to revoke accounting gimmicks included in an emergency spending package last month that provided more than $6 billion in budget savings by shifting funds between fiscal years.

The senators worked out an agreement with Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Ted Stevens on Wednesday to allow the measure to proceed.

The defense bill increases military spending by $18 billion over this fiscal year, providing more than $3 billion above the figure budgeted by Clinton.

Included is a $963 million increase in military health care funds to pay for broadened pharmacy access for all Medicare eligible military retirees, and additional funds to boost reenlistment bonuses and enlistment incentives.

The measure also provides $1.8 billion for the rapid response units proposed earlier this year by Army Chief of Staff Eric Shinseki. The funds would help develop, field and equip one 4,000-strong quick-strike unit, and pay to equip a second unit capable of deployment within 96 hours.

The funds also will help accelerate creation of a lighter, quicker combat vehicle capable of fighting like a tank.

The bill includes a 3.7 percent pay raise for troops and provides nearly $1.9 billion for development of a national missile defense system.

McCain and Gramm read a long list of special projects requested by legislators, ranging from $1.5 million for research on chronic fatigue syndrome to $4 million for desert tortoise research in California.

"The surplus is literally burning a hole in our pockets," Gramm said, saying lawmakers could not resist spending the money in fattened government accounts.

He pointed to a provision taking $5 million out of crucial army operation and maintenance accounts to pay for a National Park infrastructure building project at a closed military base.

"This is a grab bag," Gramm said. Added McCain, a frequent critic of pork-barrel spending: "I haven't seen anything quite this bad."

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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