U.S. Military May Run Out Of Money

This is from military.com:

The military will have no money to pay for the ongoing wars
in Iraq and Afghanistan for three months beginning Oct. 1 because the
White House is declining to ask Congress for funding until December or
January, well after the presidential election. Army Chief of Staff Gen.
Peter Schoomaker told the Senate Armed Services Committee the $38
billion he has for 2004 war operations will last only until the end of
September, as he spends $3.7 billion a month in Iraq and about $900
million a month in Afghanistan. The Army has about 114,000 soldiers in
Iraq and roughly 10,000 in Afghanistan. "I am concerned on how we
bridge between the end of this fiscal year and when we can get a
supplemental in the next fiscal year," Schoomaker told the committee.
The fiscal year -- the government's spending year -- runs from Oct. 1
to Sept. 30 annually. Funds for 2004, therefore, run out Sept. 30,
2004. The Marine Corps, which will send about 75,000 Marines to Iraq in
2004/2005 and expects to need $1.5 billion, is in a similar financial
bind. [...]
President Bush is not asking Congress for a 2005 supplemental until
December or January, according to Pentagon comptroller Dov Zakheim.
U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told reporters Tuesday the
decision not to request a supplemental rested with the White House. He
could not explain why the administration would allow a three-month gap
in funding the war on terror, ostensibly its top priority.

How is it possible that the military doesn't have enough money??? I
know Halliburton's charging a lot for those turkey dinners, but come
on. Don't we spend more on defense than China, England, France, Italy,
Russia, Germany, Canada and Estonia combined??
I mean, what the hell is going on here?
Furthermore, the fact that Bush is waiting until December to request
budget supplementals is beneath contempt. Especially considering his
entire presidency has been centered around scaring the living shit out
of everyone on Earth with his War on Terrorism. Isn't that supposed to
be his super ultra number one top priority? To withhold funds from our
committed troops for any reason is pretty low, but to do for solely
partisan reasons is just appalling.

Posted by flow Frazao on February 11, 2004 at 12:01 PM | Permalink