* letter to speaker of the house requesting $81.9 billion war supplemental

[paineinthearse]

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
February 14, 2005

Text of a Letter from the President to the Speaker of the House of Representatives
February 14, 2005

Dear Mr. Speaker:

Today, I am submitting a request for fiscal year 2005 supplemental appropriations of $81.9 billion for ongoing military and intelligence operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and selected other international activities, including tsunami relief and reconstruction. This request reflects urgent and essential requirements. I ask the Congress to appropriate the funds as requested and promptly send the bill to me for signature.

These funds will support U.S. Armed Forces and Coalition partners as we advance democracy, fight the insurgency, and train and equip Iraqi security forces so that they can defend their sovereignty and freedom. In Afghanistan, our Armed Forces continue to track down terrorists, help the Afghan people rebuild their country, and train and equip Afghan security forces so that Afghanistan, too, may continue to take control of its democratic future.

My request will provide funds needed to repair, refurbish, and procure equipment needed by the Armed Forces to win the War on Terror. In addition, this request will fund the Army's Modularity plan to restructure three brigades deploying to Iraq.

Finally, this request will assist the Palestinians as they build a democratic state, will provide relief for the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, and will support relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction efforts in countries devastated by the recent Indian Ocean tsunami.

I hereby designate the specific proposals in the amounts requested herein as emergency requirements. I urge the Congress not to attach to this proposal items that are not directly related to these emergencies abroad. The details of the request are set forth in the enclosed letter from the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Sincerely,

GEORGE W. BUSH

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Return to this article at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/02/20050214-12.html

[AllegroRondo]

1. * doesn't know what "supplemental" means

a supplemental appropriation is supposed to be used for emergencies and things that could not have been forseen in the annual budget. Like the tsunami relief money - theres no way anyone could have predicted that. But the ongoing cost of the war was known and could have been estimated. The house needs to send this right back to * and force him to include it in the budget.

[paineinthearse]

2. There aught to be a law.

Are there house budget rules regarding what can qualify as a supplemental and what needs to be in the annual budget? If not, seems like a great reform point for Dems.

[AllegroRondo]

3. No rules, only 'guidelines'

the original intent for a supplemental appropriation was that it only be used for emergencies, things that could not have been forseen in the annual budget.

House dems should raise a stink over this and force * to request his war money in the regular budget.

[Avalux]

4. Kerry is supporting this "supplemental"

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=7637317


:mad:

[paineinthearse]

5. John Kerry: Military Families Must be Part of Supplemental

http://kerry.senate.gov/text/home.html#

John Kerry: Military Families Must be Part of Supplemental


Below is a statement from Senator John Kerry on the military supplemental spending request that Congress will soon consider.

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

“It's the right thing to do for Congress to stand by military families as part of the supplemental funding that will soon face a vote in the United States Senate. Starting with the coming debate on the supplemental, I will fight to pass as much of my Military Family Bill of Rights as possible. There's no time to wait. Congress must act now.

“We're told that supplemental funding is needed to deal with emergencies around the globe, and I agree. But the urgent needs of our military families must also be addressed. Military families have higher expenses during deployments, and they should be able to make penalty-free withdrawals from their Individual Retirement Accounts for increased child care and other deployment-related expenses.

“We need to extend TRICARE military medical benefits to all members of the National Guard and Reserve, whether they are mobilized or not. It impacts readiness when a Reservist is called up and doesn't pass his physical because he hasn't been to a doctor in two years. We also need to expand Post Traumatic Stress Disorder programs within the VA system and require outreach efforts to find the vets who need the care.

“We also need to be more flexible with families who have lost a loved one. Widows currently have 180 days to move out of military housing if a spouse is killed in action. For those with young children, that may mean starting the school year in one state and finishing it in another. We should let them stay for a year. It’s the least we can do.

“It's time for a debate about what it really means to support the troops, in actions not just words. Truly supporting our troops requires that we act not just as individuals, but as a nation. We owe our troops the best-planned, best-equipped, and best-led military force in the world, and we owe them the peace of mind that comes from knowing that they and their families will be taken care of.”

Contact: David Wade or April Boyd

[Vinca]

6. Wish he could tack on an extra $12,000 for me so I could afford

health insurance.