Senate approves war funding bill

WASHINGTON, June 26 (UPI) -- The U.S. Senate Thursday approved funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan into 2009.

In exchange for the unrestricted war funding, President George W. Bush agreed to demands by Democrats to create a new higher-education benefit for veterans and their families and to extend unemployment benefits, The Washington Post reported.

"There are going to be a lot of veterans in the United States who are going to be happy with the United States Senate," said Sen. James Webb, D-Va., who crafted the legislation granting the new education benefit.

The $257.5 billion emergency spending bill has been negotiated and debated for months. It passed the Senate 92-6, after clearing the House 416-12 Friday.

Bush is expected to sign the bill next week, the newspaper said.

In addition to war funding, the bill provides $5.8 billion to strengthen levees in Louisiana and $4.6 billion to rebuild veterans' hospitals.