Appropriations

    

$25 Billion More Sought to Fund Wars
White House Hoped to Delay Request Until After Election

By Jonathan Weisman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, May 6, 2004; Page A01

The White House yesterday asked Congress for an additional $25 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for the fiscal year that begins in October, reversing course on its plan to wait until after the election to seek more money.
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"While we do not know the precise costs for operations next year, recent developments on the ground and increased demands on our troops indicate the need to plan for contingencies," President Bush said in a statement. "We must make sure there is no disruption in funding and resources for our troops."

Virtually all the money would go to Army operations and maintenance, White House spokesman Trent Duffy said. But a senior administration official speaking to reporters said the $25 billion will be treated as a reserve, to be tapped only at the president's request.

Bush included no war funding in his fiscal 2005 budget, and he had hoped to avoid such a request until after the November election, fearing a divisive debate over the war's conduct and future, Republican congressional aides said. Congress has approved two wartime emergency spending laws totaling $166 billion -- including $149 billion for Iraq.

But in recent weeks, military officials publicly stated that U.S. forces were experiencing financial problems and would be likely to run out of money even before Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year. Accounting tricks probably could patch those spending holes, they said, but it was unclear how the military could wait until January or February, when the administration planned to detail its next war spending request.
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The White House conceded yesterday that the $25 billion it is seeking is likely to be only the first installment. "We will pursue a full FY 2005 supplemental request when we can better estimate precise costs," Bush said.
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House and Senate budget negotiators already agreed to include $50 billion in the budget blueprint for 2005, but defense experts say even that amount will fall short. One House Appropriations Committee aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the full cost of war in 2005 will be around $65 billion, more than 2 1/2 times the president's request.

Rep. David Obey (Wis.), the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said that with the cost of securing embassies and building a new embassy in Iraq, the cost would reach $75 billion.

» $25 Billion More Sought to Fund Wars (washingtonpost.com)