Congress OKs Military Funding

With the Pentagon running short of cash, Congress on Thursday sent to President Bush a $416-billion defense spending bill that would provide $25 billion for U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan next fiscal year or even in the final months of this one.

The $25 billion is not expected to come close to meeting the demand for fiscal 2005.

The measure also includes $500 million to help fight Western wildfires.

The bill breezed through both chambers by votes of 96 to 0 in the Senate and 410 to 12 in the House, shortly before Congress began its six-week summer recess.

“This bill ensures that our military men, women and families are taken care of in this time of war,” Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) said.

Still, one prominent Democrat accused Bush of not requesting enough money -- evidence, Democrats say, of his mismanagement of U.S. operations in Iraq.

“Our troops are running out of money,” Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) said, “but the White House denies there is a problem.”

The money requested by Bush is expected to cover the cost of military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq for only a few months of the 2005 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.

And it may be needed even sooner. Congress’ watchdog, the Government Accountability Office, reported Wednesday that the Pentagon faced an estimated $12.3-billion shortfall to pay for the war on terrorism for the remainder of this fiscal year.

For the next year, additional funds beyond the $25 billion -- as much as $50 billion more, some say -- are expected to be needed.

The $25 billion would bring the total provided for military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq to more than $175 billion, according to the White House budget office. The Pentagon’s budget office said about $125 billion had been spent or obligated so far.

The spending measure passed Thursday would allow the Pentagon to dip into the funds immediately if necessary. The bill includes money for more body armor and fortified Humvees, plus a 3.5% average pay raise for members of the military.

Also included are $685 million for the operations of and security for the new U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, $500 million to train and equip the new Iraqi army and the Afghan national army, and $100 million to help “ensure that newly discovered weapons caches are secured and disposed of before they become available to enemy combatants.”

Beyond Iraq and Afghanistan, the bill sets aside billions of dollars for weapons systems, including $10 billion for a Bush initiative to deploy a missile defense system in Alaska and California.

Not all of the spending is military-related. The bill includes $95 million for humanitarian relief for victims of the conflict in Sudan and $50 million to help pay for security at the Democratic and Republican national conventions.

Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-Redlands), chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee on defense, included in the bill $30 million to reduce the fire danger caused by millions of dead trees in the San Bernardino National Forest and $10 million toward building a wildfire management training facility in San Bernardino County. These funds are in addition to the $500 million for firefighting.

Also included is $6.5 million, sought by Rep. Joe Baca (D-San Bernardino), for cleanup in the Inland Empire of perchlorate, a rocket fuel contaminant left from former military bases and defense contractors.