When Congress agreed to give President George W. Bush billions of dollars more for the fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, it also boosted the death benefit for soldiers killed in combat, budgeted nearly $600 million for a massive new embassy in Baghdad and tightened state driver's license requirements. Bush, who gained most of what he had sought in the $82 billion measure, said he would sign the bill into law and praised Congress for showing bipartisan support for the troops and anti-terrorism efforts. The 100-member Senate passed the measure unanimously on Tuesday, and the House approved it overwhelmingly last week, the Associated Press reported. "New democracies are taking root in Iraq and Afghanistan, and America is proud to stand with them," Bush said in a written statement. "This legislation will help America continue to promote freedom and democracy." The bill is the fifth emergency spending package Congress has taken up since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. It raises the cost of the global effort to fight terrorism to more than $300 billion since 2001. Most of the money - $75.9 billion - is planned for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, while $4.2 billion goes to foreign aid and other international relations programs.
