U.S. Evacuation Ending This Weekend : Exodus: The final flight for those who have permission to leave--and desire to--departs Saturday.

The Bush Administration expects this week to finish the evacuation from Iraq and Kuwait of all Americans who have permission to leave and wish to do so, the State Department announced Wednesday.

Department spokeswoman Margaret Tutwiler said that the final charter flight is scheduled for Saturday. About 300 Americans left Kuwait on Wednesday on a U.S.-chartered Iraqi Airways flight, she added.

Tutwiler said Tuesday that about 1,269 Americans were still in Kuwait and about 170 were in Iraq. If Saturday’s flight carries about the same passenger load as Wednesday’s, that would reduce the number of Americans in the two countries to a little more than 800. Some have been refused permission to leave, and others say that they will not leave their families or possessions in Kuwait.

“We have now arranged charter flights for about 1,700 Americans and their families from Iraq and Kuwait,” Tutwiler said.

“Of course, Iraq’s barbaric hostage holding continues,” she added. “Men from numerous countries, including our own, are not being allowed to depart and are obviously being held there against their will.”

About 82 Americans have been seized for use as human shields at potential military targets in Iraq. Presumably other Americans who have been denied exit visas could face the same fate.

Nevertheless, the evacuation of most American women and children will lift one constraint on U.S. military action in the Persian Gulf. Although President Bush has said that he will not be deterred by the presence of potential U.S. hostages from taking necessary action, other policy-makers have acknowledged that the Administration hopes to get out as many Americans as possible before considering military options.

Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, key members of both the Senate and House complained that the Administration is trying to bypass the congressional budgetary process by establishing a special fund to handle foreign contributions to U.S. military operations in the gulf.

Defense Secretary Dick Cheney sought permission to use the money--already at least $10 billion--without congressional approval because he said it would increase military flexibility. However, Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.), chairman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, said the proposal is “unacceptable.” He said that the lawmakers must account for the funds even though the money came from foreign countries rather than the U.S. Treasury.

Cheney testified at a closed-door hearing, but the text of his remarks was released by the subcommittee.

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) also complained that the Administration is trying to establish “a military spending slush fund” with the contributions from Japan, West Germany, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the exiled government of Kuwait and other nations.

At the same time, the State Department’s top East Asia expert said that Japan’s financial contribution to the cost of the multinational military force in the gulf is the largest of any nation outside the region.

Richard H. Solomon, assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific, said that Japan’s pledge of $4 billion constitutes Tokyo’s “fair share” of the overall costs. About half the money is pledged for the U.S.-led military deployment and half to ease the economic impact of the crisis on such countries as Egypt, Turkey and Jordan.