MITCHELL - Spending on the Iraq war is hurting education, according to Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D.

The Bush administration is spending billions of dollars in Iraq and Afghanistan while underfunding important programs at home, Johnson said.

President Bush's November veto of an education funding bill was unfortunate, he said.

"It was $11 billion over his budget request, compared to $200 billion for the war in Iraq," the senior senator said Wednesday during a discussion on education.

"Consequently, the Senate was forced to pass an omnibus bill which entailed a 1.747 percent across-the-board cut of all education programs."

Johnson, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the panel got an increase for aid to special education and for the No Child Left Behind program. The omnibus bill maintained funding for after-school programming, said Johnson.

"Additionally, I was able to secure $1.16 billion for career and technical education programs - a whopping $575 million above the president's request," he said.

The omnibus bill also had $14.2 billion for Pell grants.

"That's good," Johnson said, "but it's less than the Senate's original amount of $14.5 billion," he said.

Perkins loans and work study programs received $1.8 billion.

The College Cost Reduction and Access Act, enacted in September, will increase the maximum amount of Pell Grants to $5,400 by 2021, Johnson said, calling the increase "progress."

The act caps loan payments at 15 percent of discretionary income and provides for loan forgiveness for public service and incentives of up to $4,000 a year for teachers who teach in high-needs areas, he said.

It also halved the student loan rate, to 3.4 percent for undergraduate loans, according to Johnson. "That appears to be the best we can do," he said.