Jan. 22, 2004 – If reelected, President Bush is expected to ask for an extra $50 billion for military operations in the Middle East, according to Steven Kosiak, the director of budget studies at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, a grant-funded nonprofit that analyzes defense spending. Speaking to Defense News, Kosiak said these funds would be in addition to the $420 billion fiscal 2005 defense budget request going to Congress in February.
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This is the first indication that the president would seek more money for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan beyond earlier supplemental budgets.
Defense News reports that a Republican Congress would probably approve the new supplemental funding.
Although the separate $420 billion request for 2005 matches the Pentagon’s so-called "Future Years Defense Plan," already reflecting a 5 percent increase over 2004, the additional funds for Iraq won’t be requested until after the November elections, said Kosiak.
Last spring, Bush requested and Congress approved a $62.6 billion supplemental for 2003; in November, they approved an $87 billion supplemental for 2004.
