WASHINGTON, Oct. 22, 2007
Bush Asks For $196.4B For Wars
Requests Congress Borrow More Funds For Iraq, Afghanistan Wars, Additional Security Needs
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With stepped-up military costs running about $10 billion a month, President Bush raised his request for additional funds from Congress to pay for U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, bringing the total for the coming year to $196.4 billion. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
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The figure brings to $196.4 billion the total requested by the administration for operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere for the budget year that started Oct. 1. It includes $189.3 billion for the Defense Department, $6.9 billion for the State Department and $200 million for other agencies.
To date, Congress has already provided more than $455 billion for the Iraq war, with stepped-up military operations running about $10 billion a month.
The war has claimed the lives of more than 3,830 members of the U.S. military and more than 73,000 Iraqi civilians.
Mr. Bush made his request in the Roosevelt Room after meeting in the Oval Office with leaders of veterans service organizations, a fallen Marine's family and military personnel who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The White House originally asked for $141.7 billion for the Pentagon to prosecute the Iraq and Afghanistan missions and asked for $5.3 billion more in July. The latest request includes $42.3 billion more for the Pentagon - already revealed in summary last month - and is accompanied by a modified State Department request bringing that agency's total for the 2008 budget year to almost $7 billion.
Mr. Bush said any member of Congress who wants to see success in Iraq, and see U.S. troops return home, should strongly support the request.
"I know some in Congress are against the war and are seeking ways to demonstrate that opposition," he said. "I recognize their position and they should make their views heard. But they ought to make sure our troops have what it takes to succeed. Our men and women on the front lines should not be caught the middle of partisan disagreements in Washington, D.C."
Democrats were not swayed.
"We've been fighting for America's priorities while the president continues investing only in his failed war strategy - and wants us to come up with another $200 billion and just sign off on it?" said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. "President Bush should not expect Congress to rubber stamp his latest supplemental request. We're not going to do that."
Reid noted that this $200 billion, like all the money before it, is not paid for in the budget and thus would have to be borrowed.
CBS News correspondent Bob Fuss reports that House leaders say the troops won't run short of money, but they will go over the request with a fine-tooth comb and don't expect to act on it before next year.
Mr. Bush asked lawmakers to approve the request before the holidays.
"We must provide our troops with the help and support they need to get the job done," Mr. Bush said. "Parts of this war are complicated, but one part is not, and that is America should do what it takes to support our troops and protect our people."
Congress already has approved more than $5 billion for new vehicles whose V-shaped undercarriages provide much better protection against mines and roadside bombs. It's likely that Congress will quickly grant $11 billion more to deliver more than 7,000 of the vehicles.
The delays in submitting the remaining war funding request were in part due to unease among congressional Republicans about receiving it during the veto override battle involving a popular bill reauthorizing a children's health insurance program.
As part of the package, the State Department is requesting $550 million to combat drug trafficking in Mexico and Central America, $375 million for the West Bank and Gaza and $239 million for diplomatic costs in Iraq.
The request also includes $724 million for U.N. peacekeeping efforts in the war-torn Darfur region in Sudan, $106 million in fuel oil or comparable assistance to North Korea as a reward for the rogue nation's promises to cease its efforts to develop nuclear weapons. Another $350 million would go to fight famine in Africa.
For the Pentagon, the latest request includes:
All told, the $189.3 billion Pentagon request for 2008 includes:
Associated Press Writers Andrew Taylor and Deb Riechmann contributed to this report.
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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- Actually Bush is in the position now that he has no choice but to spend all the money on the war. Until those troops are out of there that is where every penny is going to have to go. Even if it was decided to bring the troops home now, it wouldn''t happen immediately. I read something not long ago on how much it cost a day or week but I can''t remember what it was.
- Reply to this comment
- "So he can ask for $196.4 billion for the war in iraq to kill mostly inocent people, but he cant spend $30 billion A YEAR, to pay for childrens medical insurance for those who just cant afford it?!?!" posted by jtippets2
Bush is out of control. He has borrowed so much money that he is never going to be able to pay it back. The reason he won''t spend it on anything else is because he needs every cent he can get for the war. - Reply to this comment
- Posted by sftodd at 05:18 PM : Oct 24, 2007
"When the President Talks to God" was written by Bright Eyes.
Let''s just say, he nailed it. - Reply to this comment
- Lyrics from a true American Patriot:
When the president talks to God
Are the conversations brief or long?
Does he ask to rape our women%u2019s'' rights
And send poor farm kids off to die?
Does God suggest an oil hike
When the president talks to God?
When the president talks to God
Are the consonants all hard or soft?
Is he resolute all down the line?
Is every issue black or white?
Does what God say ever change his mind
When the president talks to God?
When the president talks to God
Does he fake that drawl or merely nod?
Agree which convicts should be killed?
Where prisons should be built and filled?
Which voter fraud must be concealed
When the president talks to God?
When the president talks to God
I wonder which one plays the better cop
We should find some jobs. the ghetto''s broke
No, they''re lazy, George, I say we don''t
Just give ''em more liquor stores and dirty coke
That''s what God recommends
When the president talks to God
Do they drink near beer and go play golf
While they pick which countries to invade
Which Muslim souls still can be saved?
I guess god just calls a spade a spade
When the president talks to God
When the president talks to God
Does he ever think that maybe he''s not?
That that voice is just inside his head
When he kneels next to the presidential bed
Does he ever smell his own ***
When the president talks to God?
I doubt it
I doubt it - Reply to this comment
- http://tinyurl.com/2r363w
That is the website which shows the "war" or rather the invasion and occupation will cost. Read & Weep.
Posted by Vet1971 at 03:36 PM : Oct 24, 2007
Quote from above link:
"Prior to the March 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Bush administration estimated the Iraq war would cost no more than 50 billion dollars"
Bit of a jump there is actual costs eh !! Even though the info (intel as you Americans like to call it) comes from a .cn URL, regardless we know today that the cost has spiralled into the 100''s of BILLIONs of dollars and yet you have children within the US who do not have access to proper medical treatment. We watch National Geographic and the plight of the African children etc, and it''s happening on your own doorstep, and yet each evening allegedly G W Bush goes to bed early each evening and sleeps like a baby. OMG how does he sleep at night. - Reply to this comment
http://tinyurl.com/2r363w
That is the website which shows the "war" or rather the invasion and occupation will cost. Read & Weep.- Reply to this comment
- So he can ask for $196.4 billion for the war in iraq to kill mostly inocent people, but he cant spend $30 billion A YEAR, to pay for childrens medical insurance for those who just cant afford it?!?!
Posted by jtippets2 at 01:38 PM : Oct 24, 2007
Precisely expressed, who cares about your children certainly not your President, also the people who keep him in power. Disempower him quickly for the sake of of your childen, because when these children grow up to adulthood they will never forgive you. - Reply to this comment
- So he can ask for $196.4 billion for the war in iraq to kill mostly inocent people, but he cant spend $30 billion A YEAR, to pay for childrens medical insurance for those who just cant afford it?!?!
- Reply to this comment
- Bush is without a sliver of a doubt, the WORST PRESIDENT IN THE HISTORY OF THE USA.
Posted by dogband at 08:53 AM : Oct 24, 2007
One has to agree with you, and history will not be kind to him, in fact he''ll go down in recorded history, and be mentioned in the same sentances as Hitler/Stalin an even in my opinion Chauchesku and the likes. - Reply to this comment
- HEY BUSH TAKE THE MONEY FROM YOUR OIL BUSSINESS AND COMPANIES NOT FROM THE POOR PEOPLE.. YOU BAZTARD....
- Reply to this comment
- What is wrong with America?
Posted by BareEmperor at 09:55 AM : Oct 24, 2007
So true, our Emperor has no clothes. He''s standing stark naked before the world and the only people who can "see" his clothes are members of his administration. It''s tragically sad and embarassing. - Reply to this comment
- Watched the White House talking head last night, the blond was saying the fire services in Calif were spread thin because... "we are a nation at war" - she repeated this statement three times within one minute... I found this an odd piece of brainwashing at an odd time.
And it made me think - our nation is NOT at war, our president is at war. And he is ''''fighting'''' in some little dot on the world map, and there are some thugs, not very many, ambushing a few of our ''''troops'''' ocassionally, and Bu$h and Congre$$ are calling it an endless ''''war'''', and throwing all my tax dollars at defense corporations...
This is NOT a war.
A million Californians need help, and the White House needs a photo-op.
What is wrong with America? - Reply to this comment
- War is peace. The unending war.
Instead of actually going to Cuba and TALKING with the next potential leaders, BUSH is once again running his stupid mouth.
Again Condi too has the RUN THE MOUTH disease, critizing instead of talking with people.
Holy ***, If I treated the people in my neighborhood and talked about them, instead of TO THEM, like BUSH and CONDI do, no one would be able to get alone with anyone.
The Bush swagger has returned.
Bush is without a sliver of a doubt, the WORST PRESIDENT IN THE HISTORY OF THE USA. - Reply to this comment
- radiob
Starleo already knows that I am a Canadian and actually has agreed with a lot of things that I have said.
"...granted our nation has it''''s share of problems (poodle and flea infestation in our government) but so does Canada, erasmus6 is just not willing to admit it."
You know radiob, I have always said that we have our problems but you just keep saying the same thing over and over about how I never adimit it. I now classify you as a LIAR. I have no respect for liars. What is pathetic is you never really come up with an actual defense for your country, you just try to retaliate by bringing up little bits and pieces about mine.
"...lets send all of the illegals to Canada then."
Well radiob, I can assure you that you could try but Canada is a little more strict about illegal immigrants than the U.S. YES, we do have illegal immigrants but nothing like you do and when they are found our country DEPORTS them, unlike the U.S. Also it is a lot harder to get into our country than the U.S. - Reply to this comment
- Starleo for your information erasmus6 is from Canada and never has anything good to say about the US, granted our nation has it''s share of problems (poodle and flea infestation in our government) but so does Canada, erasmus6 is just not willing to admit it.
Tool this fool(erasmus6) thinks that 2 million here illegally and another 3 million trying to get in is nothing, lets send all of the illegals to Canada then.That''s not including all of the people that are here legally working on their citizenship. - Reply to this comment
- "Once enough damage has been done, Americans will see the wisdom in fixing their government." posted by Candide777
Any more damage and there will be nothing to fix. If the American people haven''t seen the wisdom in fixing their government by now, they AIN''T going to. - Reply to this comment
- Toolmangler
"A simple way to take measure of a country is to look at how many want in... And how many want out."
And how many years ago did he make this statement? - Reply to this comment
- "(currently there are 20 million illegals in America with three million a year trying to get in)" posted by Toolmangler
The 2o million that are already there probably have realized their mistake by now but have no money left to get back out. AND the three million a year trying to get in, just plain and simply don''t know any better. They just hear that it is a great place to live and won''t find out the truth till they are living there. Actually I really doubt at this point in time that there is that many that are trying to get in. Obviously the very poor are trying to get in because after all, what have they got to lose when you are desperate? - Reply to this comment
- I got too wordy for CBS. I also would like to add that I look forward to the day when Americans start seeing the wisdom of voting for a politician who is not supported by ANY corporations. I love the wealth the corporations provide to this country. But they most assuredly should not be controlling our government, which is presently the case. If you think for one minute that your "representative" is not bought and paid for by a corporation that he or she fights harder for than any voter, you are living in a fantasy world. Our government is owned by corporate America, and if you are not on the board of one of the largest corporations in America, you have no voice, whether you think you do or not, period, plain and simple, democrat or republican, you don''t count.
- Reply to this comment
- Nobody in their RIGHT MIND would want to become a citizen of the U.S. of A. Posted by erasmus6
Much as I agree with the underlying sentiment, the fact is, LOTS of people want to become U.S. citizens, which is not so much an endorsement of the horrible things that are happening in this country (e.g., the president''s war on freedom) as it is a statement about how bad it really is in other countries. We are still the greatest country on earth, despite the clear inarguable incompetence of our political parties. How we take back our government from the corporations that presently run it, now that is the question. Our forefathers set up a system that they did not realize would lead (220 years later) to tyranny by the corporations who are motivated solely by profit, not by ideology, whether liberal or conservative. The answer must be that we vote based not on party affiliation but on allegiance to fixing our government. I use to be appalled by Ralph Nader, but now I see the wisdom of rolling up our sleaves and starting the hard work of fixing our government. In the short term, it requires giving up one''s favorite cause simply so that we can fix our government. Once enough damage has been done, Americans will see the wisdom in fixing their government. They will stop voting party lines, start sending the incumbants packing and start replacing them with people committed to fixing our government. We have not suffered enough yet for this to happen. We will. - Reply to this comment
