WASHINGTON — Legislation to provide millions of dollars in new pension benefits to Filipino veterans of World War II cleared a key Senate hurdle today, but the White House and some Republicans said the money is better spent on U.S. soldiers fighting the war on terror.

Despite the controversy, the Senate voted 94-0 to advance the bill to a final vote on Wednesday.

Democrats pushing the legislation want a 60-year-old law overturned to give 18,000 Filipino veterans of that war who live abroad a roughly $300-a-month pension.

Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawai'i, said the Senate took an important step to help veterans overcome a procedural roadblock that has been stalling the bill.

"I am pleased to see my colleagues are united in overcoming this obstruction for the sake of our veterans, and I look forward to Senate action on this bill. Our veterans should not be made to wait any longer for these benefits."

The White House and Republican opponents of the bill point out that such a pension would be added to one already afforded these veterans by their own government.

No lawmaker wants to be accused of opposing federal aid to veterans, especially in an election year. Senators on both sides bandied that accusation and sparred over which veterans are most deserving of U.S. aid at this time in history.

Democrats said the aid is long overdue to these Filipino veterans who fought alongside Americans during World War II.

"We depended on the Filipinos as they fought bravely and valiantly by our side," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. "America needs allies. We need to set an example that we stick by our friends."

Republicans countered that U.S. veterans who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan deserve first dibs at pension money and that paying non-citizen veterans a pension in wartime is a misplaced priority.

"There was never a promise made" to the Filipino veterans living abroad, said Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., the top Republican on the Veterans Affairs committee. "I believe it is time for us to stand up for our guys, versus that select group."

The White House statement did not include a veto threat, but named several concerns the administration has with the bill. Chief among them is that the bill would give the Filipino veterans an annual pension higher than the average annual income in that country. The average American veteran pensioner living in the U.S., meanwhile, receives payouts of less than one-third of the average U.S. family income, the administration said.

"These Filipino veterans would have a relative benefit much greater than the average veteran pensioner living in the United States," the statement said.