Bush Defends Request For More War Funding
October 22, 2007, 7:52pm
President Bush today defended his proposal for an extra $46 billion for the Defense Department in fiscal 2008, saying that the money outside the normal budget process would fund “urgent military necessities.” The request was made only days after the new fiscal year began Oct. 1.
“The majority of the supplemental funding … is for day-to-day military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq,” Bush said in the Oval Office. “The bill provides for basic needs like bullets and body armor, protection against [improvised explosive devices], and mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles. It also funds training missions, vital embassy programs, improvements in Iraq and Iraqi security forces, and intelligence operations that protect our troops.”
AP reported that military operations in Afganistan and Iraq already have cost $455 billion over five years.
Bush acknowledged that some Democrats in Congress oppose more funding for the wars and said “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 in the middle of partisan disagreements in Washington.”
Categories: Military, Iraq, White House, Budget
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