On Capitol Hill, the House has approved a measure calling for an immediate withdrawal of US troops from Iraq to be completed by December 2009. The resolution passed by a 227-to-196 vote, far short of the two-thirds majority needed to overcome a White House veto. The House also approved measures including an extension to unemployment benefits, blocking of Bush administration restrictions on Medicaid, and the funding of veterans education through a half-a-percentage-point tax on wealthy Americans making over $500,000. The resolution came about after the House failed to pass a $196 billion war funding bill. Dozens of Republicans withheld their support in opposition to Democratic handling of the measure.