Reply #41: Tight US budget would spare military, international spending [View All]

Tight US budget would spare military, international spending
(AFP)

7 February 2005



WASHINGTON - The budget for fiscal 2006, which President George W. Bush sends to Congress on Monday, would slice federal funding for a wide array of domestic programs, but increase military and international spending.

The budget totals a record 2.5 trillion dollars in spending but does not include future expenses of the ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, which will be the subject of separate supplemental requests, The Washington Post reported.

The proposal grants the Pentagon an extra 19 billion dollars, bringing its annual operating budget to 419.3 billion dollars for the 2006 fiscal year, a 12-month period starting October 1 this year.

On the international front, Bush has earmarked 3.2 billion for fighting AIDS worldwide in 2006 and increased foreign operations and development aid by 17 percent, the paper said.
(snip/...)

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/theworld/2005/February/theworld_February173.xml§ion=theworld&col=