Canadian drug purchases included in spending bills
By ANDREW TAYLOR
Associated Press
July 10, 2009
Page 2 of 2
Republicans had also added language to require double fencing along 700 miles of the border with Mexico rather than vehicle barriers and high-tech equipment.
The Senate Appropriations Committee was also busy, adopting three bills. Democrats dealt a blow to the anti-abortion movement by voting to permanently reverse a policy under recent Republican administrations that banned giving U.S. taxpayer money to international groups that perform abortions or provide abortion information. The move came during debate on a $49 billion foreign aid bill.
The 17-11 vote by the Appropriations Committee would give the existing policy -- set by Obama by executive order days after taking office -- the force of law. That means the next Republican president would not be able to put the ban back in place with the stroke of a pen as has been recent practice.
The Senate panel also boosted funding for the Energy Department and Army Corps of Engineers water projects and for the Treasury Department and other programs that increased budgets for financial regulatory agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., won approval of a plan to ease Bush administration rules requiring upfront payment from Cuba for imports of U.S. food. Dorgan says the Treasury Department is refusing to abide by an earlier attempt passed by Congress to effectively waive the Bush rule.
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