Government Report Slams "Emergency" War Funding Request

[Donnachaidh]

Source: TruthOut.org

Nearly half of the $94 billion in emergency funding President Bush says Congress needs to immediately make available to continue to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan would actually be used to finance non-urgent items related to the so-called "longer war on terror." The revelation once again casts further doubt on the president's assertion that the Army will run out of funding this month for US troops fighting in those regions, according to a report issued by the nonpartisan research arm of Congress.

The president and officials at the Department of Defense appear to be using a bulk of the emergency spending request sent to Congress more than two months ago to pay for items unrelated to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. And moreover, using the emergency budget request to escape Congressional scrutiny to finance measures deemed controversial, according to the report, "Fiscal Year 2007 Supplemental Appropriations for Defense, Foreign Affairs, and Other Purposes," released earlier this month by the Congressional Research Service.

"When the president submits an emergency supplemental request, the authorizing committees are bypassed," said Ryan Alexander, president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonpartisan federal budget watchdog group. "The request goes directly to the appropriations committees, and they are pressured by the need to act quickly so that troops in the field do not run out of funds. The result is a spending bill that passes Congress with perfunctory review."

"Since 9/11, Congress has passed at least one emergency bill to cover war costs, making supplemental spending the method of choice for the majority of funding for operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the war on terror," Alexander added. "Of the $510 billion spent thus far, $331.8 billion (about 65 percent) has come from supplemental spending legislation. If the so-called "bridge fund" included in the fiscal year 2007 appropriations bill is included, the total rises to $401.8 billion. That means nearly 80 percent of all funding for these wars was the result of emergency and supplemental spending, not regular budgetary means."



Read more: http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/042307A.shtml

[williesgirl]

1. Surprise, surprise - they continue to lie on everything - recommended

[Benhurst]

2. Recommended #2

[gratuitous]

3. Why doesn't President Bush support his own troops?

After all, if this war is worth fighting and winning, and Bush seems to say that over and over again, isn't it worth funding through the regular budget process, rather than as an afterthought?

[ck4829]

4. K&R

[UpInArms]

5. kickin' the lies back to the top of the page

:kick:

('cuz a kick is just as necessary as a recommend :) )

[cyberpj]

6. Will Media Hos ever cover the facts?? Should we all send copies of this stuff to all of congress?nt