US Congress approves $680 billion defense budget

WASHINGTON, The US Congress’ both the houses have passed a 680-billion-dollar defense spending bill for fiscal year 2010 which sets tough new restrictions on military aid to Pakistan.

The US Senate voted 68-29 in favor of a 680-billion-dollar defense budget for fiscal year 2010, which sailed through the House of Representatives by a 281-146 margin on October 8 and will now go to President Barack Obama. The new restrictions imposed on Pakistan include efforts to track where US military hardware sent to Pakistan ends up, as well as a warning that US aid to Pakistan must not upset the balance of power in the region.

The legislation instructs the White House to send lawmakers a report every 180 days on progress toward long-term security and stability in Pakistan. The measure’s chief authors, Senators Robert Menendez and Bob Corker, praised Pakistan for its help routing extremists but said they wanted to be sure US military aid goes to fight the “war on terrorism.”