The United States is giving cash-strapped Jordan an additional $78 million this year to boost its Arab ally's efforts to combat terrorism and compensate it for hosting hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees, the embassy said in a statement Sunday. The money, which will be disbursed by Sept. 30, is in addition to $454 million in economic and military aid already appropriated this fiscal year for Jordan.
US President George W. Bush signed the supplemental appropriation into law on May 25 after the US Congress earlier approved the additional aid. Of the total, $10.3 million will go to Jordan's efforts to improve basic education and health services in communities that have experienced a significant influx of Iraqi citizens, the statement said.