Political Quotes

“When the administration presented its budget request for fiscal year 2005 in February, the request did not include funding for costs associated with the ongoing global war on terrorism. This is in keeping with longstanding tradition of funding ongoing military operations through supplemental appropriations. At that time, the administration stated that it expected to request a supplemental to cover these costs, after the start of calendar year 2005. Prior to the passage of a supplemental, the administration planned to cover the cost of the war with funds from other military accounts--a process commonly called ``cash flowing.'' Administration officials stated in February and March that ``cash flowing'' ongoing military operations presented acceptable and manageable risk. On May 5, President Bush announced his intention to request a $25 billion contingent reserve fund for fiscal year 2005 for United States military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The President stated that, ``While we do not know the precise costs for operations next year, recent developments on the ground and increased demands on our troops indicate the need to plan for contingencies. We must make sure there is no disruption in funding and resources for our troops.'' In my judgment, this is a prudent course of action, and it has my strongest support.”