Senate panel takes up war funding measure

WASHINGTON — The price tag for Pentagon operations in Iraq and Afghanistan would rise to $1 trillion under war funding legislation a Senate panel was taking up Thursday.

The almost $60 billion measure blends about $30 billion for President Barack Obama's troop surge in Afghanistan with more than $5 billion to replenish disaster aid accounts, provide Haitian earthquake relief, and make a downpayment on aid to flood-drenched Tennessee and Rhode Island.

The must-pass legislation is the only appropriations bill likely to advance to Obama's desk until the fall and is a tempting target for Democrats seeking to add money for a summer jobs program or to help to local school district to retain teachers. But Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, is resisting such add-ons in order to build GOP support for the bill.

In a break with tradition, the Senate is advancing the war funding measure before the House acts on it. Many of Obama's Democratic allies in the House oppose war funding and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., hasn't been in any hurry to bring Obama's war funding request to a vote.

The war funding comes on top of $130 billion in Iraq and Afghanistan money provided to the Pentagon in December.

On Thursday afternoon, senators and staff aides were working out the details of a last-minute $118 million Obama request to respond to the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Negotiations also continued over flood relief, as Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., pressed for additional help beyond $100 million in community development block grants and $49 million in Economic Development Administration funds that Inouye has proposed.

Alexander's support would likely help ease the measure's passage through the Senate and Inouye is also courting GOP Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi with funding that could help his state recover from recent tornados.

The measure won't include provisions to raise limits on BP's liability for the Gulf oil spill or provide unemployment insurance and food stamps to people hurt by the spill but is likely to include help for fishermen and money for stepped-up inspections and enforcement activity by the Interior Department.

The measure contains $13 billion in benefits for Vietnam War veterans exposed to Agent Orange, but does not provide more than $4 billion requested by the administration to finance settlements of long-standing lawsuits against the government, including $1.2 billion to remedy discrimination by the Agriculture Department against black farmers and $3.4 billion for mismanaging Indian trust funds.