Bush details $70 billion war funding request
WASHINGTON (AP) - May 2, 2008 Friday's request fills in the details of the $70 billion
placeholder that the White House asked for when it sent its budget
to Congress in February. The money is for the budget year that
begins Oct. 1.
Congressional analysts say Bush's request would bring the total
spending since Sept. 11, 2001, to fight terrorism and conduct the
wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to $875 billion.
The request comes as Democrats on Capitol Hill are struggling to
move Bush's pending $108 billion request for the current year.
Democratic leaders say they're likely to add the $70 billion for
next year to that measure, which would allow them to avoid a
politically painful vote on war funding in the heat of campaigning
for the November elections.
Anti-war Democrats are frustrated at their inability to force
the president to scale back war operations and hate to vote to keep
the Iraq war going. At the same time, Bush has promised to veto the
war funding bill if Democrats add money for domestic programs and
present him with a bill over his request.
The bulk of the new money, $45 billion, would fund combat
operations, but there's also $3 billion to deal with roadside bombs
and $2 billion to cope with rising fuel costs.
