This vote was on passing a supplemental spending bill for fiscal 2010, totaling $58.8 billion.  This includes $33.5 billion for an additional 30,000 troops in Afghanistan, $3.6 billion for Afghan and Iraqi security forces, $5.1 billion for FEMA to pay for past natural disasters, $13.4 billion to compensate Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange, and $94 million for recovery efforts related to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

No one spoke specifically for or against the bill itself; these types of spending measures are enacted almost every year, and this year’s contained provisions that were relatively uncontroversial.  Most of the Senate’s debate on this bill was on amendments that were not directly related to the bill itself. This included several unsuccessful amendments related to beefing up security at the U.S.-Mexico border, including by increasing the amount of National Guard troops there, and finishing the border fence.

By a vote of 67-28, the Senate passed the bill.  All but two Democrats present voted for the bill.  Of Republicans present, 12 voted for the bill and 26 voted against it.  The end result is that the Senate passed a bill that would provide $58.8 billion in supplemental spending for fiscal 2010, including for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, natural disaster aid, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and Vietnam veterans.