Bush sends new Iraq budget request to U.S. Congress
Source: Reuters
MONTEVIDEO, March 10 (Reuters) - It will cost about $3 billion to send extra U.S. troops to Iraq in support of the 21,500 already being deployed under President George W. Bush's reworked war strategy, the White House said on Saturday. U.S. President George W. Bush sent House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, a letter revising a $100 billion request for funding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan."This revised request would better align resources based on the assessment of military commanders to achieve the goal of establishing Iraq and Afghanistan as democratic and secure nations that are free of terrorism," Bush said in his letter. He signed it Friday night and released it on Saturday while on a Latin America tour. Gordon Johndroe, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said the overall budget request has not changed. He said about $3 billion in lower priority items will be subtracted from the original proposal made in February to offset the new request. U.S. military commanders in Iraq have said in recent days that the number of additional U.S. troops needed to carry out Bush's security plan for Iraq could approach 30,000, taking into account units needed to support 21,500 extra combat troops announced in January. Johndroe said the extra troops will include up to 2,400 military police to handle an anticipated increase in Iraqi detainees. In addition, about 2,000 more U.S. troops will be needed in support of the 21,500. Also, 129 temporary Defense Department positions are needed to help in provincial Iraqi reconstruction."This formalizes the request that people have been talking about over the last few days," Johndroe said.Democratic leaders of Congress have already been raising questions about the $100 billion request and the 21,500 troop buildup. Some have proposed withdrawing all American combat troops from Iraq by mid-2008, saying Bush's war strategy had failed and that the United States must instead focus on a brewing storm in Afghanistan. The White House has warned that Bush would veto such legislation if it reached his desk.
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