Bush demands billions

2007-10-23 09:25

Washington - President George W Bush on Monday demanded nearly $200bn from Congress to fund war operations next year, throwing down the gauntlet to opponents who want a swift exit from Iraq.

"Every member of Congress who wants to see both success in Iraq and our troops begin to come home should strongly support this bill," Bush said at the White House.

"I know some in Congress are against the war and are seeking ways to demonstrate that opposition," he said. "But they ought to make sure our troops have what it takes to succeed."

The request for $196.4bn would fund the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2008, and adds more than $42bn to the administration's original estimate of its war costs for next year.

It includes $5.3bn for mine-resistant armoured vehicles known as MRAPs, and $3.6bn for the State Department in part to fund what Bush called "crucial relief for Iraqi refugees".

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, an ardent Iraq war critic, said the request pointed to the president's "misplaced priorities" following his recent veto of a popular health care funding bill.

"Demanding nearly $200bn for Iraq while vetoing health care for 10 million children exemplifies the Bush Administration's misplaced priorities," she said.

"For the cost of less than 40 days in Iraq, we could provide health care coverage to 10 million children for an entire year," said Pelosi.

"The colossal cost of this war grows every day - in lives lost, dollars spent, and to our reputation around the world."

If approved, the request would push US war costs to a whopping $757.4bn since Bush launched his "war on terror" following the attacks of September 11 2001.

A recent Washington Post-ABC News poll said that 43% of Americans want the budget for Iraq and Afghanistan reduced sharply.

Another 23% said they wanted the funding lowered somewhat, while 27% said they would give a green light to the administration's request.

Democrats in Congress have contrasted Bush's unwillingness to back more funding for a children's healthcare bill to his demand for an "open-ended, open-wallet commitment to Iraq".

White House spokesperson Tony Fratto said the Pentagon was in no immediate danger of running out of money for its operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"But what we want to make sure is that the Department of Defence and the armed forces have the certainty that they need going forward. So we do want Congress to move sooner, rather than later," he told reporters.

A senior defence official said the Pentagon is spending $10.7bn a month on average on the war on terrorism overall, $9.2bn a month of it on Iraq.

- AFP