Wartime Commission Would Investigate Contracting Abuses in Iraq and Afghanistan Sens. Jim Webb (D-VA) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO) have sponsored a bill ( href="http://webb.senate.gov/pdf/contracti2.pdf" target="_blank">S. 1825) that would set up a commission to investigate and reform wartime contracting. It is likely the bill will be introduced as an amendment to the Defense Reauthorization Act that is currently being debated in the Senate. FY 2008 War Funding Could Top $200 Billion In May, Congress passed a $99.5 billion supplemental war spending bill that expires on Sept. 30. The next supplemental bill for FY 2008 war spending is expected to total close to $200 billion. That total, however, is an estimate based on speculation in Washington and continuously changing conditions in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Congress to Vote on Compromise SCHIP Package House and Senate negotiators have agreed to an expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) that closely mirrors the target="_blank">earlier Senate version. The House is scheduled to vote on the package today, Sept. 25, with the Senate voting later in the week. President Bush has promised to veto the bill. U.S. Reaches Debt Limit: The Case for Long-Term Analysis The Senate will vote soon on legislation to raise the ceiling on the national debt to nearly $10 trillion. This action is imperative as the statutory limit of $8.965 trillion on the United States' level of public debt will be reached by Oct. 1, according to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.