Senate keeps car sales stimulus in war bill
  • The U.S. Senate rejected on Thursday an attempt to strip a $1 billion program aimed at spurring flagging U.S. car sales from a pending $106 billion war funding bill.

    The Senate voted 60-36 to keep the program that would provide vouchers of up to $4,500 for consumers to trade in their less fuel-efficient cars for ones that get better mileage, a program known as "cash for clunkers."

    Republican Senator Judd Gregg had raised an objection to including it in the legislation because it did not include cuts elsewhere to cover the costs. He also complained the program also was not in the original versions of the war funding bills that the Senate and House of Representatives passed.