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Friday, September 08, 2006
Anticipate Another End Run Around the Budgeting Process for War Funding
Last night the Senate unanimously passed the Defense appropriations bill. While clocking in at a hefty $470 billion, this appropriations bill is indeed a very large one, but I want to draw your attention to the $50 billion line item for spending on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
It would appear that after some cajoling by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Sen. John Warner (R-VA), and Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) earlier this year, the Bush Administration saw fit to include a $50 billion bridge fund for Iraq and Afghanistan. I stress the word "appear", because I assure you that the $50 billion bridge funding is window dressing only.
To say that fifty billion dollars is adequate to fund two wars next year that have, so far, cost an average of $91 billion per year, would be somewhat optimistic, even Pollyannaish. In fact, for FY2006, Congress appropriated $116 billion for the two wars. Had the Administration and Congress been serious about keeping war funding within the confines of the normal budgeting process, they would appropriate a realistic estimate for the cost of fighting two wars.
Posted by Craig Jennings
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