|
Friday, February 03, 2006
More Supplemental Fund Request in Store in 2006
The White House has announce it will include an outline of approximately $140 billion in FY 2006 supplemental spending it is expected to request this year when it unveils its FY 2007 budget on Monday. The spending, which would go primarily to funding the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (86%), will also include additional funds for relief efforts along the Gulf Coast.
The president's budget will show $70 billion in war funds to be spent in the current fiscal year that the administration hopes Congress will act on quickly. That would bring the total war spending in FY 2006 to around $120 billion. An additional $50 billion will be included in spending projections for FY 2007, which begins on October 1.
As we have said before, this administration's continued use of supplemental and emergency designations for war funding is very bad process. Such requests hurt the oversight role of Congress by bypassing the congressional hearing and markup process, thus reducing transparency.
The requests, since they are not included in regular budget proposals and cost estimates, have serious implications for the president's attempts to reduce the deficit. Essentially, the president is saying he will cut the deficit in half, but only counting part of the government, not the entire picture.
NY Times: $120 Billion More Is Sought For Military in War Zones
Posted by Adam Hughes
|