Bush asks $250 bil for war
Budget would curb Medicare payments
Andrew Taylor
Associated Press
Feb. 3, 2007 12:00 AM

WASHINGTON - Keeping troops in Iraq for another year and a half will cost nearly a quarter-trillion dollars, about $800 for every man, woman and child in the U.S., under the budget President Bush will submit to Congress on Monday.

Bush will ask for $100 billion more for military and diplomatic operations in Iraq and Afghanistan this year and seek $145 billion for 2008, a senior Pentagon official said Friday. Those requests come on top of about $344 billion spent for Iraq since the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

At the same time, Bush's budget request will propose cost curbs on Medicare providers, a cap on subsidy payments to wealthier farmers and an increase to $4,600 in the maximum Pell Grant for low-income college students.

Bush's proposal, totaling almost $3 trillion for the budget year starting Oct. 1, will kick off a major debate with the new Democratic-controlled Congress. Democrats are sure to press for more money for domestic programs, and they have signaled that they won't consider renewing Bush's tax cuts until closer to 2010, when they are to expire.

The White House plan will produce a surplus in 2012, budget director Rob Portman said Friday, assuming strong growth in tax revenues, continued curbs on domestic agencies' spending and relatively modest cuts to farm programs, Medicare and the Medicaid health care program for the poor and disabled.

The requests, to be released Monday, would bring war spending for fiscal 2007 to about $170 billion, with the $145 billion for 2008 representing a decline.

The additional request for the current year includes $93.4 billion for the Pentagon and $6 billion for foreign aid and State Department costs on top of $70 billion approved by Congress in September.

BUSH : "THE CONSTIUTION DIDN'T STOP ME FROM LYING TO START A WAR IN IRAQ DID IT ??????? IT WON'T STOP FROM LOOTING SOCIAL PROGRAMS TO FINANCE THE CONTIUING CARNAGE IN IRAQ EITHER !!!!!!!!!!"