$82 billion more for war on terror

The US Congress has  approved a bill granting an additional $ 82 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and sent it to President George W Bush for his signature.

After the House of Representatives approved the measure last week, the Senate approved the legislation by a 100-0 vote Tuesday.

The bill was "absolutely critical to winning the war on terror," said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, Tennessee Republican.

Most of the money -- $75.9 billion -- is for US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

With this, the total cost of the worldwide war on terror and reconstruction efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan has crossed $300 billion since 9/11.

The new bill includes $ 4.2 billion for foreign aid and other international relations programs, (including $592 million for a new US Embassy in Baghdad), $680 million for peacekeeping in Sudan, Haiti and other places and $230 million for US allies in the war on terror, said Xinhua.

Apart from boosting the one-time benefit for survivors of troops killed in combat zones almost tenfold, (from $ 12,000 to $100,000) the legislation also mandates states to begin issuing more uniform driver's licenses and cross-check the citizenship or legal status of those getting them.

America's War on Terror | The war in Iraq