President Bush Requests Approximately $75 Billion in Emergency Funding for War - 2003-03-24

President Bush has announced his request to Congress for approximately $75 billion in emergency funding to cover the costs of the war in Iraq and to assist America's allies in the region. The exact amount requested by President Bush is still unclear, but it is anticipated that the war budget bill, which will be officially submitted to Congress tomorrow, will include necessary funding for actual war expenses, increased domestic security measures, humanitarian aid, and reconstruction plans for Iraq. On Friday, the U.S. Senate voted to reduce the $100 billion requested by President Bush for tax cuts to compensate for war-related expenses. President Bush has asked Congress to allocate about $75 billion in additional funding for the costs of the war in Iraq and the global war on terrorism over the next six months. The U.S. President stated that he cannot predict the duration of the war but is aware of its outcome: that the people of Iraq will be freed and the world will be safer. In President Bush's war budget bill, funding is also included for relief efforts and reconstruction activities in Iraq, assistance to those American allies in the Middle East affected by the war, and increased domestic security measures. President Bush will meet with British Prime Minister Tony Blair tomorrow near Washington to discuss the situation on the battlefronts and the future of Iraq.