President Bush signs Consolidated Appropriations Act 2008

December 27, 2007 On Wednesday, United States President George W. Bush signed into law a US$555 billion appropriation bill, called the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 (aka H.R. 2764).

The bill will keep government agencies running through September 2008. It also includes US$70 billion, which will fund the military efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan well into 2008.

The signing of the bill concluded a battle between Bush and the United States Congress, during which he threatened to use his Presidential veto. Even so, Bush complained about the final outcome of the bill:

"I am disappointed in the way the Congress compiled this legislation, including abandoning the goal I set early this year to reduce the number and cost of earmarks by half. Instead, the Congress dropped into the bill nearly 9,800 earmarks that total more than $10 billion. These projects are not funded through a merit-based process and provide a vehicle for wasteful Government spending," Bush said in a press release from the White House.