The Bush administration asked for an additional US$42.3 billion
for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, bringing the 2008 request for
total war funding to US$189.3 billion.
The request comes on top of US$147 billion already sought for in
the wars.
Most of the money goes to Iraq, which is costing the Pentagon an
estimated US$2 billion a week.
"Parts of this war are complicated, but one part is not -- and
that is that America should do what it takes to support our troops
and protect our people," US President George W. Bush said in an
appearance with members of veterans groups at the White House.
Bush said the money will cover basic operating expenses, plus
additional armored vehicles and countermeasures designed to protect
US troops from roadside bombs.
"Congress should not go home for the holidays while our troops
are still waiting for the funds they need," he said.
The president also called on Congress to finish the
appropriations bills that fund the Pentagon and Department of
Veterans Affairs before lawmakers' holiday recess, set to begin in
mid-November.
The request is bound to kick off another debate on Capitol Hill
over the course of the Iraq war.
Bush's last supplemental spending request led to a showdown with
the Democratic leaders of Congress, who pushed for a withdrawal of
American combat troops in 2008 -- a demand dropped after the
president vetoed the measure.
Minutes after Bush spoke, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid,
D-Nevada, warned the president not to expect Congress to
"rubber-stamp" the latest request.
"In the coming weeks, we will hold it up to the light of day and
fight for the change of strategy and redeployment of troops that is
long overdue," Reid said.
He said the new request means the overall cost of the widely
unpopular war now approaches US$650 billion since the March 2003
invasion.
(Xinhua News Agency October 23, 2007)
