Getting your player ready...
WASHINGTON — Republicans lost their battle to delete special projects from a defense bill Wednesday, and the Senate passed the measure as is.
Blocking the measure in wartime was not a political risk many senators were willing to take. The measure passed 88-8.
The measure would permit $612.5 billion in spending for national defense programs in 2009, including $70 billion for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. It also includes a 3.9 percent pay increase for military personnel. Opponents objected to $5 billion in pet projects that Congress added to the bill.
