In a transparent effort to mask the true costs of war and reduce the size of the mounting budget deficit the White House left funding for Iraq and Afghanistan out of the 2005 budget it submitted on February 2. [1] Since that time, the "administration has steadfastly maintained that military forces in Iraq will be sufficiently funded until early next year." [2] White House Budget Director Joshua Bolton insisted "no request [for more money for Iraq] would come until January at the earliest."

From the beginning, military officials predicted that the Administration's game playing would create problems. General Peter Schoomaker, Army Chief of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on February 11, "I am concerned...on how we bridge between the end of this fiscal year and whenever we could get a supplemental in the next year...I do not have an answer for exactly how we would do that." [3] Marine Commandant General Michael Hagee agreed.

As predicted, it was revealed last month that, without additional funding, US troops would face a $4 billion shortfall as early as this summer. [4] Yesterday, the President was forced to come clean and request "an additional $25 billion to finance military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan." [5]

SOURCES:

1. "Deficit Is $521 Billion In Bush Budget",Washington Post, 2/2/04, http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1322174&l=33558. 2. "War May Require More Money Soon", Washington Post, 4/21/04, http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1322174&l=33559. 3. "U.S. Military May Run Out Of Money", UPI, 2/11/04, http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1322174&l=33560. 4. "Rice Delivers 'Upbeat' Iraq Report", CBS News, 4/22/04, http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1322174&l=33566 5. "$25b sought for Iraq, Afghanistan", Boston Globe, 5/5/04, http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1322174&l=33562.

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