Over the opposition of Bernie Sanders and two dozen other senators, the Senate late Tuesday voted to provide another $70 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. “I cannot support providing more money for continuing our ill-conceived and tragic presence in Iraq with no requirement for when our redeployment will begin, when it will be concluded, and what our future course in Iraq will be,” Sanders said. “This war has been a disaster from day one. It is time to bring our troops home.” The vote came after the Senate rejected a proposal cosponsored by Sanders to bring troops home from Iraq by next May. The amendment by Sen. Russ Feingold was defeated 71 to 24.

The House of Representatives on Wednesday was expected to seal the deal between Democratic congressional leaders and Bush by giving final approval of the war funds and a spending package for federal agencies.

“The war spending legislation contains $40 billion for Iraq operations with no strings attached to be used as President Bush wishes with no accountability for when our involvement in Iraq will end,” Sanders said. “With expenditures of $12 billion a month, it is now estimated that the total cost of our Iraq involvement will end up being more than $1 trillion.”