<NEWS RELEASE>

Washington DC  – The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the last emergency spending bill to fund the Iraq war, ending a six-year practice that has kept combat operations in Iraq off the books and out of the budget.

"This ends an era of fiscal irresponsibility. The Bush administration had been spending $12 billion a month in Iraq, and refused to include the war  funding in the annual Department of Defense budget,” said Congressman Jim Oberstar. "We are going to give our troops what they need to keep  us safe and we are going to be accountable to the American people about the cost.”

The $83.4 billion Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2009 (H.R. 2346)  dedicates resources to deal with a number of growing threats to U.S. safety  and security. The bill refocuses the fight against terrorism to Afghanistan  by increasing the U.S. military presence there. The legislation also includes  $3.6 billion to train Afghan security forces and police and $980 million to  help strengthen local governments and engage in economic development.

In Pakistan the bill provides $2.3 billion to help that nation improve its  counterinsurgency efforts. A total of $1.9 billion will help build stronger  local governments and provide for educational and economic development efforts.

The legislation also allocates $2 billion to contain and fight the H1N1 flu  pandemic, $470 million to address growing violence along the U.S.-Mexico  border and $250 million to combat wildfires in the U.S.

The Supplemental Appropriations Act will also provide direct assistance to  veterans and active duty personnel. Key provisions include retroactive  payments of $500 a month to servicemen and women who had their enlistments  involuntarily extended under stop-loss orders. An additional $100 million has  been appropriated to treat servicemen and women suffering from traumatic  brain injuries. The number of traumatic brain injuries suffered by soldiers in Iraq is proportionally higher than past conflicts due to the use of improvised explosive devices.

"One of the most important parts of this bill is the requirement for President Obama to report to Congress on progress in Afghanistan and Pakistan  early next year,” said Oberstar. "We will actively assess the  administration's policies to ensure that they warrant continuation. The  time of the blank check supplemental appropriations bill has passed.”