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House OKs war funding bill to increase troops in Afghanistan
Despite pessimism that the war in Afghanistan is a quagmire, Democrats controlling the House muscled through a plan Thursday to finance President Obama's troop increase, but only after sweetening the measure with provisions to salvage their faltering jobs agenda.
The approximately $80-billion bill was passed amid building pressure on Democrats to act before their weeklong Fourth of July break. But the Senate approved a slimmer measure in May; it will take weeks to reconcile the differences.
The crucial vote to advance the measure under convoluted floor rules came on a 215-210 tally to bring up the nearly $60-billion Senate-passed measure for debate. Democrats added more than $20 billion for domestic programs late Thursday, including $10 billion in grants to school districts to avoid teacher layoffs, $5 billion for Pell Grants to low-income college students and $700 million to improve security along the U.S.-Mexico border.