WASHINGTON - President Bush will soon sign the US$87.5 billion package he requested for Iraq and Afghanistan, but his Democratic critics used its final approval by Congress to highlight what they say are his failed policies in Iraq.

The Senate, on a voice vote Monday, gave its assent to the legislation three days after the House blessed it by 298-121. It closely tracks the outlines of an US$87 billion plan Bush requested September 7 in a nationally broadcast speech.

During a tour of fire damage in California, President George W. Bush said Tuesday that he mourned the death of 15 soldiers from the downing Sunday of a Chinook helicopter, but he told relatives of the fallen that their sons "died for a cause greater than themselves."

"We are at war," Bush said in his first public comments about the downed helicopter. "There are people that hate us. ... The fallen soldiers were making America more secure."

White House press secretary Scott McClellan said earlier that "those who seek to kill coalition forces and innocent Iraqis want America and its coalition partners to run so the terrorists can reclaim control."

McClellan said the money, coupled with assistance from international donors, will help make Iraq more secure and help the transition to self-government for Iraqis. The money also will help Afghanistan become a peaceful, democratic and stable nation, he said.

During Monday's congressional debate, Republicans defended the package as the best way to restore order in Iraq. The bill is dominated by US$51 billion for US military operations in Iraq and US$18.6 billion to restore its oil industry, train police officers and otherwise rebuild the country's economy and government.

"Security brings stability, and stability fosters democracy," said Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Ted Stevens,who helped write the bill. That, he said, "offers the fastest way to get our military men and women home."

Democrats were less charitable, saying what was really needed were more contributions of troops and money from US allies.

"The administration's lack of postwar planning for Iraq is producing an erratic, chaotic situation on the ground with little hope for a quick turnaround," said Sen. Robert Byrd. "We appear to be lurching from one assault on our troops to the next while making little if any headway in stabilizing or improving security in the country."

In an anticlimactic voice vote for which only a handful of senators appeared, Byrd was the only one to say "Nay."

The voice vote let lawmakers sidestep the roll call that usually accompanies major legislation. That underscored the complicated political calculus presented by the measure, which was dominated by popular funds for US forces but also sparked questions about Bush's postwar Iraq policies and record budget deficits at home.

The measure was mostly for the federal budget year running through next September 30, though some of the money is for a longer term.

It was the second massive package for Iraq and combating terror that Bush has requested and Congress has produced in less than seven months.

In April, it enacted a US$79 billion bill that included US$62.4 billion for the war in Iraq, which had just begun, plus other money for Afghanistan, tightened security at home and help for financially ailing US airlines.

The bill completed Monday includes US$64.7 billion for US military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. The money includes everything from salaries owed reservists called to active duty to buying aircraft parts, missiles and thousands of extra sets of body armor for ground troops.

In the starkest departure from Bush's proposal, there is US$18.6 billion - US$1.7 billion below the president's plan - for retooling Iraq's economy and government.

Dropped was money that critics said was wasteful or at least not needed urgently. This included money Bush wanted for postal and telephone area codes; a children's hospital in Basra, which is patrolled by British troops; sanitation trucks; and restoration of drained marshlands.

Though Bush got less than he wanted for Iraqi aid, the White House fended off lawmakers of both parties who had forced a provision through the Senate making half the aid to Iraq a loan.

House-Senate bargainers killed that language last week, leaving the aid a grant that Baghdad will not have to repay.

(Agencies via Xinhua)