Official Says War Budget to Exceed $50B

[Sandpiper]

That Official would be none other than Paulie "war nuts" Wolfowitz

Official Says War Budget to Exceed $50B

By ALAN FRAM, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Wars in Iraq (news - web sites) and Afghanistan (news - web sites) will cost more than $50 billion next year, a top Defense Department official told Congress Thursday in the Bush administration's clearest description yet of the conflicts' price tags.

The remarks by Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz's edged the administration toward critics' estimates that combat will cost closer to $75 billion in the budget year that starts Oct. 1. White House budget chief Joshua Bolten earlier this year had said that next year's spending would probably be $50 billion.


Wolfowitz also seemed to open the door to compromise over the White House's unusual request for full control over the first $25 billion for the wars. Congress is expected to provide the money, but members of the Senate Armed Services Committee (news - web sites) lambasted the unfettered flexibility the proposal would give the president.


"Our forefathers would have scorned such arrogance as has been demonstrated by this administration in this request," said Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va.

<snip>

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=3&u=/ap/20040513/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/iraq_spending