Senate set to pass $94.5b for Iraq war, hurricane

The Senate is poised to send to President George W. Bush an emergency spending bill meeting his funding demands for America's two ongoing wars and limits on aid to Gulf Coast hurricane victims. The chamber Thursday is set to give the $94.5 billion House-Senate compromise measure a hearty send-off since the lion's share - $66 billion - is to support US troops overseas through September. Still, there is increasing concern in Congress about the cost of the war in Iraq and the fact that it is financed on a set of loosely-policed books kept separate from the rest of government operations.