AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE,
Washington: The House of Representatives Appropriations Committee on Tuesday approved a 427-billion-dollar defense spending bill for the 2007 fiscal year, including some 50 billion dollars for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Appropriations chairman Jerry Lewis said the measure would come to the full House for a vote next week.
The measure would raise military pay by some 2.7 percent effective January 1, 2007.
It also would fund the replacement of critical equipment lost or damaged in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, including the purchase of additional Humvees, trucks, radios, Tomahawk cruise missiles and ammunition.
