Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) has told his colleagues that he agrees with the President’s desire to hold the 2006 emergency supplemental bill (meant to cover operations in the war on terror and hurricane recovery) to the Administration’s $92.2 billion proposal. Frist wants the Senate to weed out unnecessary add-ons and “find offsets” for any “legitimate emergency spending” amendments. The Senate Appropriations Committee added almost $15 billion to the President’s request, while their House counterparts trimmed the request slightly.
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.