Fy2005 Supplemental Appropriations For Iraq And Afghanistan Tsunami Relief And Other Activities

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Download or read book FY2005 Supplemental Appropriations for Iraq and Afghanistan, Tsunami Relief, and Other Activities written by and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On February 14, 2005, President Bush submitted an $81.9 billion supplemental appropriation request for FY2005 (subsequently amended to total $82.04 billion) to provide funds for ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the "global war on terror," reconstruction in Afghanistan, Tsunami relief and rehabilitation, and other activities. As the fifth supplemental of the Bush Administration to focus on the "global war on terrorism" and homeland security, these supplemental funds for FY2005 would be in addition to the $25.7 billion received in August 2004 as part of the FY2005 DOD Appropriations Act to cover war-related costs for the initial months of the fiscal year (P.L. 108-287). The Administration's request included $74.96 billion for the Department of Defense, $5.6 billion for reconstruction and other foreign aid, $950 million for Tsunami relief, and $770 million for other activities. If enacted as an emergency appropriation, as requested, the funds would not be subject to limits in annual budget resolutions but would add to the size of the U.S. budget deficit. Taking into account the funds already provided, DOD's request would bring its FY2005 total appropriation to about $100 billion, which is over 45% higher than the amount provided in the FY2004 supplemental (P.L. 108-106). While OMB Director Joshua Bolten argued that the request was an emergency for "known and urgent requirements," that could not be met with existing funds, some Members questioned whether this characterization fit some elements in the request. Some questioned whether the $5 billion requested by the Defense Department for the Army's initiative to re-organize Army units was an unanticipated emergency since it was announced in the fall of 2003; others argued that the initiative was a war-related expense because it was expected to relieve war-induced stress on Army forces. For foreign aid and Iraq diplomatic facilities, the issue was whether the requests represented true emergencies or could wait for later consideration. If not dealt with in the FY2005 supplemental under an "emergency" designation, however, these foreign policy items could be added to the pending FY2006 international affairs appropriation bills and would place additional pressure on the Administration to defend an already sizable foreign policy increase proposed for next year. Another controversial issue was the Administration's proposal to place policy authority and control of funding with the Defense Department rather than the State Department to train and equip Afghan and Iraqi security forces. The Administration also requested $400 million for contingency funds related to the war on terror and $200 million in aid to the Palestinian Authority, both of which raised concerns. The conference agreement on H.R. 1268 passed the House on May 5 (368-58) and the Senate on May 10, providing $82 billion in supplemental funding, the same overall amount requested, but with many changes in program allocations and the additional of immigration legislation. President Bush signed the measure on May 11, when it became P.L. 109-13.