Washington: The Bush administration will ask the Congress for an emergency budget of
$ 75 billion for Iraq war, including $ 63 billion for defence on the assumption that
the war will be over in 30 days.
However, the budgetary demand does not include the cost of bringing back the troops
and equipment, nor the cost of reconstruction, according to officials.
The supplemental budget request for this fiscal 2003, which also proposes about $
four billion for homeland security and $ eight billion for foreign aid and
humanitarian aid, will be sent to Congress later this week.
US President George W Bush met Congressional leaders on March 24 to tell them how
much the war in Iraq will cost. He will formally unveil the spending request today
at the Pentagon.
Earlier, a Pentagon official said its request for emergency supplemental funding
would provide $ 30.3 billion for "coercive diplomacy," $ 13 billion for the "major
conflict phase," $ 12 billion for the "transitional and stability phase," and $ 7.2
billion for "reconstruction phase".
These costs only cover the US fiscal year 2003, which ends in October 2003.
The budget request also includes bilateral aid for several Gulf nations and Israel.
While some lawmakers want the supplemental spendings to cover other items, such as
help for the ailing airline industry, the Democratic leaders want more money for
homeland security.
Democratic Senator Robert Byrd, while giving the breakdown for the supplement budget
as outlined by the White House, said the administration wants the bill passed by
April 11.
The war appropriation is also likely to include increased aid for US allies who are
supporting the war effort, including $ one billion in grants and $ nine billion in
loans to Israel to prop up its sagging economy, $ one billion for Egypt, and $ one
billion for Jordan, officials said.
It may also include some rebuilding costs in Iraq, but it is unlikely to spell out
the future costs of reconstruction and occupation as it is not yet clear how much
damage will need to be repaired in Iraq.
The US aid agency USAID has already begun asking for bids from US companies for some
of this rebuilding work.
PTI
