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Bush Wants $82B More for Iraq, Afghan Costs
AP ^ | February 14, 2005 | AP

Posted on 02/14/2005 10:16:27 AM PST by CitizenHelper

WASHINGTON - President Bush was poised to officially ask Congress Monday for an estimated $82 billion to cover the costs of continuing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and a myriad of other internationally related expenses, including training Iraqi security forces and aiding victims of the tsunami.

The White House was to send the supplemental budget request to Capitol Hill late Monday, White House press secretary Scott McClellan told reporters.

Included in the request is $74.9 billion for the Defense Department, including $5 billion for transforming Army divisions and brigades and $5.7 billion for training and equipping Iraqi military and police, according to a federal official familiar with the supplemental.

The remaining money in the supplemental request includes $950 million to help areas affected by the recent tsunami in the Indian Ocean; $350 million to aid the Palestinians; $400 million to reward nations that have taken political and economic risks to join U.S.-led coalitions in Iraq and Afghanistan; money to help build a U.S. embassy in Baghdad; reconstruction funds for Afghanistan; and money for the Darfur region of western Sudan where a 2-year-old civil conflict has left tens of thousands off people killed and more than 2 million displaced.

In a written statement on this issue earlier, President Bush had said the special appropriation would support U.S. troops and help the United States "stand with the Iraqi people and against the terrorists trying desperately to block democracy and the advance of human rights."

The Army wants to use the $5 billion to convert 33 brigades and regiments — about 30 of which are organized into 10 divisions — into a force of 43 to 48 brigades that would operate more independently.

(Excerpt) Read more at story.news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News
KEYWORDS: afghanistan; appropriations; bush43; iraq; term2
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Comment #141 Removed by Moderator

To: JohnnyZ
But the deficits are due to the Clinton recession, the attacks of 9/11 and the War on Terror. massive entitlement spending.

So where were the deficits during the Clinton massive entitlement spending years when we were not at war, and prior to the massive hit on our economy on 9/11? (The clinton admin was spending money on mood lights in NYC, and other such nonsense that has been cut out with this President).

You cannot ascribe this deficit spending to entitlements only, and ignore the recession President Bush inherited, and the expenditures of war.

142 posted on 02/15/2005 6:47:42 AM PST by ohioWfan (George W. Bush........AVENGER of the BONES!!)
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To: ATOMIC_PUNK

Indeed. Thanks for the ping!


143 posted on 02/15/2005 6:54:48 AM PST by Alamo-Girl
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To: jern

I am surprised it is this low. I was expecting $87B.

In any event, this action would still be cheap if it cost the US ten times as much.


144 posted on 02/15/2005 7:07:36 AM PST by AFPhys ((.Praying for President Bush, our troops, their families, and all my American neighbors..))
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To: JoethePirate

How is medicare not a form of social security. Are they not both wealth transfers from the present generation to the retiring generation? Are they not required to be paid into through the career lifespan of the worker? The fact that someone new to the country can by pass the entire process of paying into the system and just receive benefits is BS. If you don't agree then you've got issues.


145 posted on 02/15/2005 7:20:04 AM PST by jb6 (Truth = Christ)
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To: ohioWfan
So where were the deficits during the Clinton massive entitlement spending years

That was during boom/bubble years, and I think we had one small surplus budget come out of that. You really can't blame the recession for the deficits because recessions inevitably happen -- they're a part of the business cycle. And besides, ours was three+ years ago!

Over the long term it's the entitlements that constrain both the federal and state budgets. Yes, we can and are trying to grow our way out of deficit, but that takes time, since we have to outgrow the growing entitlements. There's very little non-entitlement spending to be cut in $ terms.

146 posted on 02/15/2005 7:32:12 AM PST by JohnnyZ ("Thought I was having trouble with my adding. It's all right now." - Clint Eastwood)
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To: CitizenHelper
Cost of WWII in 1941-1945 Dollars: $288.00B USD source 1
Cost of WWII in 2003 Dollars (last year available in the CPI calcuator): $3,611.67B USD source 2

$3611B WWII >> $87B WOT

147 posted on 02/15/2005 7:34:24 AM PST by jriemer (We are a Republic not a Democracy)
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To: monday
It's NOT your country and the day I take orders from you

I told you to pay your taxes. You don't have to take that from me, but you're gonna have to take it from the IRS, go to jail, or get the hell out of my country.

148 posted on 02/15/2005 7:34:37 AM PST by JohnnyZ ("Thought I was having trouble with my adding. It's all right now." - Clint Eastwood)
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To: JohnnyZ
There are many economists who disagree with you.

I'm not arguing for the entitlements. They need to be cut.

I'm just saying that wartime budgets cause deficit spending because people won't stand for cutting domestic programs, especially in our present situation, when everyone doesn't understand the reality of the threat, and the reality of the war.

In the long term, the entitlements need to be brought under control, and this budget is taking a small step in doing so.

149 posted on 02/15/2005 7:40:15 AM PST by ohioWfan (George W. Bush........AVENGER of the BONES!!)
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To: ohioWfan
There are many economists who disagree with you.

On .............. ?

150 posted on 02/15/2005 7:48:44 AM PST by JohnnyZ ("Thought I was having trouble with my adding. It's all right now." - Clint Eastwood)
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To: JohnnyZ
That it is the war that has caused the deficit, and not the entitlements (which were there prior to the war AND the deficits).

Sorry, Johnny. I don't think we have any basic disagreements (other than the main cause of the deficit), so I'm letting this conversation go.

I'll leave it at this..........this is money well spent. Cuts should be made elsewhere. There's plenty of fat to be cut, and our soldiers deserve our support.

151 posted on 02/15/2005 10:55:24 AM PST by ohioWfan (George W. Bush........AVENGER of the BONES!!)
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To: ohioWfan

I agree! Thing is the people complaining about the money voted for this man to do the job and protect all of us. Well now he is and now they don't want to pay.

I am as conservative in my beleifs and I beleive in fiscal responsibility but not when it comes to defense.

In my opinion we need to stop giving foreign aid to ungrateful nations. There are billions being given away to foreign countries now that's waste.


152 posted on 02/15/2005 1:27:09 PM PST by stopem (Support the troops yellow ribbon purse-key-holders.)
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To: stopem
In my opinion we need to stop giving foreign aid to ungrateful nations. There are billions being given away to foreign countries now that's waste.

Amen! There are plenty of places to cut, but money spent for our national defense is NOT one of them.

153 posted on 02/15/2005 1:39:36 PM PST by ohioWfan (George W. Bush........AVENGER of the BONES!!)
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To: CitizenHelper

This isn't "new" is it? I thought he was just submitting it as supplemental, so that we could separate costs of war from defense budget....?


154 posted on 02/15/2005 2:17:49 PM PST by RushCrush (If it takes a bloodbath, let's get it over with. No more appeasement. - Reagan)
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To: jb6
How is medicare not a form of social security.

You have got to be kidding me. Social Security and Medicare are two entirely different programs with dissimilar eligibility guidelines and benefits. Recent immigrants may be eligible for Medicare and not Social Security if they have an insufficient amount of earnings in the United States.

155 posted on 02/15/2005 2:50:21 PM PST by JoethePirate
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To: ohioWfan
Thanks for the good conversation, econ. Perhaps we can meet sometime on a thread in which we agree. I have the sense that we agree on quite a few things.

Definitely the classiest end to a heated debate that I have seen in a while. Good job!

156 posted on 02/15/2005 2:55:01 PM PST by JoethePirate
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To: jern
unreal, it will never stop.

Amazing isn't it, that there apparently was no one in the "free enterprise" party that was able to do a cost/benefit analysis on this debacle?

157 posted on 02/15/2005 3:01:38 PM PST by iconoclast (Can anyone direct me to any place in our founding documents where "democracy" is mentioned?)
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To: JoethePirate
Thank you very much, Joe!

Do you know Johnny Depp? ;o)

158 posted on 02/15/2005 3:04:35 PM PST by ohioWfan (George W. Bush........AVENGER of the BONES!!)
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To: ohioWfan
Do you know Johnny Depp? ;o)

Not personally. I don't get out much!

159 posted on 02/15/2005 3:11:27 PM PST by JoethePirate
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To: JoethePirate
Oh, too bad.........your both being pirates, and all........

Or are you the kind that plays baseball in Pittsburgh?

160 posted on 02/15/2005 3:14:04 PM PST by ohioWfan (George W. Bush........AVENGER of the BONES!!)
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