Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) has told his colleagues that he agrees with the President’s desire to hold the 2006 emergency supplemental bill (meant to cover operations in the war on terror and hurricane recovery) to the Administration’s $92.2 billion proposal. Frist wants the Senate to weed out unnecessary add-ons and “find offsets” for any “legitimate emergency spending” amendments. The Senate Appropriations Committee added almost $15 billion to the President’s request, while their House counterparts trimmed the request slightly.
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
