Among the features of America’s military involvement in Libyan airspace that has given some lawmakers pause: the cost. At a time when belt-tightening is the domestic political rage, writing checks to help support a no-fly zone half a world away has, for some critics, raised the question of President Barack Obama's budget priorities.
On Monday, National Journal tallied costs from the first day of Libya air strikes, estimating that the launch of more than 100 tomahawk missiles totaled somewhere from $112 million to $168 million. Within that range lie the cuts that House Republicans have proposed to the National Weather Service budget -- money that would be used for, among other things, tsunami-warning systems.
According to administration officials, however, the choice facing the president is not an either/or, since there are no current plans to ask Congress for a supplemental bill to pay for the military intervention in Libya.
"The operation in Libya is being funded with existing resources at this point. We are not planning to request a supplemental at this time,” Office of Management and Budget spokesman Kenneth Baer said Monday.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/21/obama-libya-funds-congress_n_838707.html
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