Portman refers to the $141 billion the administration has requested for Iraq and Afghanistan operations for the 2008 fiscal year beginning in October.
But the president has also asked for $93 billion for what is called "emergency" funding, which combined with other funds approved last year pushes spending on Iraq and Afghanistan in 2007 to about $163 billion.
That is "an enormous sum", in the view of Democratic Congressman Ike Skelton, who vows to use his Armed Services Committee to subject the budget to close scrutiny.
House Republican responses focused on what they called "common sense" proposals in the president's plan, while opposing tax increases and urging Democrats to work for bipartisan compromises as the budget process plays out.
On the foreign affairs portion of the budget, the new Democratic head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Congressman Tom Lantos, faults the plan for under-funding U.S. contributions to United nations peacekeeping operations in Sudan, Congo, Liberia, Haiti and Lebanon.
The annual budget exercise now begins in earnest, as congressional committees call Bush administration officials to defend their portions of the spending plan.
This week, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, among others, are going before House panels which are also examining such issues as waste of U.S. funds designated for reconstruction in Iraq.
출처: VOA(Voice of America) news
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