WASHINGTON, April 24 (UPI) -- The U.S. Senate will debate the fiscal 2006 war and hurricane relief emergency supplemental package this week.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., has carved out two weeks of floor time to debate and vote on the provisions because fiscal conservatives have objected to the $106.5 billion price tag, CongressDaily reported Thursday.
Frist originally scheduled one week of floor debate for the package. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and other conservatives are expected to challenge several provisions that they consider "pork projects" and not related to emergency funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan or relief for victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Democrats are expected to offer numerous amendments to increase spending for hot-button election-year issues like veteran's health care and energy independence. The Senate reconvenes Monday for morning hour business, but votes are not expected to begin until Tuesday on the measure, CongressDaily said.
If the Senate approves the $106.5 billion package -- nearly $15 billion more than President George W. Bush requested and the U.S. House of Representatives passed -- the Senate version is likely to face strong opposition from the House over the extra spending when the two chambers negotiate a compromise, the report said.
