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Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Supplemental: It's Wednesday, It Must be $110 Billion
Those trying to follow the bouncing budget ball of the President's expected "emergency" supplemental request for war funding in 2007 watched it bounce yet again yesterday. USA Today reports that when asked if the supplemental will be at least $110 billion, OMB Director Rob Portman said, "Yes."
Exactly a week ago, CNN referred to a House report released that day saying "the administration is expected to submit an additional request early next year that will total roughly $100 billion."
Two weeks before that, the LA Times said "Congressional and military officials have said the Pentagon is considering a request of $127 billion to $150 billion in new emergency war spending."
And before the election, as we noted, quoting CQ:"the military services have sent a $160 billion request [that] likely will be sent to Congress in early February."
Whatever the final amount, when the ball finally bounces into Congress' hands, it won't get passed without scrutiny, as we expect.
At any of the above levels, the LA Times says, it "would be largest such request since the special spending measures were begun in 2001."
Posted by Dana Chasin
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