The Senate granted by 93-0 votes a request from President George W. Bush for some 78.7 billion dollars, while the House of Representatives soon afterwards passed a similar bill for 77.9 billion dollars by a 414-12 vote.

Additional items were tacked on by the Senate, including a 3.5 billion dollar rescue package for the struggling US aviation transport sector designed to help absorb some of the losses suffered by airlines because of the war.

The House of Representatives' measure includes its own proposal for 2.2 billion dollars to go to the airlines. Both houses will now go to conference to thrash out details of a compromise version of the amendment.

The White House had opposed financial support for the airlines, but asked lawmakers to approve the war chest before Congress adjourns for spring recess on April 11.

Lawmakers have been speedy so far in moving the measure forward, although the addition of the rescue package for airlines is considered a challenge of sorts to popular, war-time president Bush.

On Tuesday, both House and Senate Appropriations Committees unanimously passed emergency funding bills exceeding the White House request of 74.7 billion dollars.

Senate minority leader Tom Daschle said after Thursday's vote that both Democrats and Republicans agreed on the need to pass the measure swiftly, with a quarter of a million US servicemen and women now in combat in the Gulf.

Daschle said it was the duty of lawmakers to ensure US troops had all they needed to complete their mission.

The Democrat, who on the first day of the war accused Bush of failing on the diplomatic front and as a result was lambasted by Republicans, has since avoided criticizing the president over the conflict.

Many others from his party have done the same to avoid being accused of lack of patriotism.

The supplemental budged amendment provides for the current fiscal year -- which concludes September 30 -- some 62.6 billion dollars for the Pentagon and 5.02 billion in aid for coalition countries.

Included in the package are some nine billion dollars in credit guarantees for Israel, and 2.35 billion dollars for Egypt.

Turkey would receive one billion dollars plus credit guarantees worth up to 8.5 billion dollars. Some 700 million dollars would also go to Jordan.

The House budget proposals also includes an amendment stipulating that France, Germany, Russia and Syria must not be included in any reconstruction contracts involving US finance in Iraq.

The stipulation relates to those countries' failure to support US military intervention to oust Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

The four nations, under the amendment, would even be excluded from gaining access to information relating to the offers.

The matter, voted in a raised hand ballot, could become a mute point during the conference discussions later, however, since the Senate failed to adopt a similar measure of its own.

SPACE.WIRE