Quote:So when you wenge about war funding, think about what goes to the men and their equipment versus ear marks for some Legislators pet project back home.
By www.sourcewatch.org's tally, the spending you were describing (at least, the bill that made it to the President's desk) was to be 124 billion total, with 96 billion earmarked for the Iraq war.
That's 28 billion or so going into domestic programs. A large chunk is earmarked for Katrina and Gulf Coast relief. The rest is for Iraq and Afghanistan, comprising about 3/4 of the spending.
Why the US government can't deal with one issue at a time, I'll never know. I guess to hide the pork, but usually they're more proud of it than ashamed, since it helps buy votes.
Not that any of it got spent, because Bush vetoed it, due to the timetable for withdrawal.
Nit: "* $100 million more than either version provided" is not a distinct expenditure, as far as I know.
-Jester