Bush to veto defense spending bill
CNN is reporting that President Bush plans to veto a defense spending bill that Congress passed this month, the White House said Friday.
The president has concerns over a provision that would let victims of Saddam Hussein's regime with legal claims in U.S. courts seek compensation from the Iraqi government.
If enacted, the White House said, the act "would permit plaintiff's lawyers immediately to freeze Iraqi funds and would expose Iraq to massive liability in lawsuits concerning the misdeeds of the Saddam Hussein regime.
"The new democratic government of Iraq, during this crucial period of reconstruction, cannot afford to have its funds entangled in such lawsuits in the United States."
A veto would block a pay raise for members of the U.S. armed forces. It also would block more money for veterans' health care.
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