President Bush on Monday signed a $186.5 billion supplemental spending bill that provides funding for another year of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan while greatly expanding GI Bill education benefits for veterans of the two wars.

The Senate cleared the spending bill by 92-6 on June 26, a week after the House had voted on it. Final action came after the House and Senate spent weeks shuffling sections of the legislation back and forth as Democrats argued over its contents. The Pentagon warned it would run out of funds for operations and personnel in early July.

The military funding section of the new law provides $161.8 billion to support operations related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, with $95.9 billion for the remainder of fiscal 2008 and $65.9 billion for fiscal 2009, which begins Oct. 1. The money will fund war operations through next June.

“With this legislation we send a clear message to all who are serving on the front lines that our nation continues to support them,” Bush declared.

The bill provides $24.7 billion for domestic programs, including $2.7 billion for Midwest flood and tornado relief, and funds to rebuild levees destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

It greatly expands veterans’ education benefits, extends unemployment benefits for up to 13 weeks beyond the normal six months, and delays six Medicaid regulations proposed by the administration that would shift some costs to the states.

The GI Bill expansion and extension of jobless benefits were important domestic priorities for congressional Democrats — but the costly items were not offset with revenue-raising provisions.