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White House Will ask for More Money to use on Iraq
Aired August 28, 2003 - 10:34 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The Bush administration could be facing a new Iraqi mission as early as next month, going to Capitol Hill in search of more money. The possible request comes amid this week's estimates that the cost of reconstruction could run into the tens of billions of dollars.
CNN senior White House correspondent John King is in Crawford, Texas outside the president's ranch there. Hello to you, John.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Fredricka. Perhaps even more than 100 billion if you take the long view at Iraqi reconstruction over the next five to ten years, U.S. officials say.
The administration is focusing though, as you noted, right now on an emergency spending request. We're told by senior administration officials look for something in the area of $2.5 to $3 billion in an emergency spending request to go up from the White House to Congress over the next several weeks.
Now, that would not be the end for this year. There would be another supplemental budget request put up later this fall. That, we're told, will be in the tens of billions of dollars.
Two top priorities right now. This first emergency spending request would be to help keep the transitional government up and running in Iraq and to put more money into the reconstruction pipeline. The president's civilian appointee in Iraq, Ambassador Paul Bremer, says the Iraqi people need to see evidence that the coalition is rebuilding the roads, getting power plants back up and running, getting the oil industry back up and running.
So to try to give them that evidence of progress, they're trying to move quickly on the reconstruction effort. Ambassador Bremer says he needs money now.
So again we are told the Bush administration likely to ask for about $2.5 billion to $3 billion in the short-term, then tens of billions more later this fall.
Look for Congress to ask many questions. The money is likely forthcoming, but many in Congress are not happy, thinking the administration has been less than forthcoming in terms estimating the cost of how much this will cost in terms of reconstruction on the one hand and, of course, the continuing troop deployment on the other -- Fredricka. WHITFIELD: And, John, does more money a also translate into paying for the sending of more troops to the region as well?
KING: Well the White House insists at the moment it does not need anymore troops. It says if the generals on the ground ask for them, they will get them.
The question now is can the administration get some international help? There is a new effort at the United Nations to create a multinational force that would get -- you need a new Security Council resolution to do this -- you'd create a multinational force.
But it would not be the traditional blue helmet U.N. peacekeeping force. The Americans would stay in charge. It's controversial. The administration is trying to get acceptable language for a new U.N. Security Council resolution that would allow more international troops to come in. And, over time, and again, this is still a big if -- but if it comes about over time you could start to rotate U.S. troops home if more international countries were taking part in the coalition.
WHITFIELD: All right, John King in Crawford, Texas. Thanks very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired August 28, 2003 - 10:34 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The Bush administration could be facing a new Iraqi mission as early as next month, going to Capitol Hill in search of more money. The possible request comes amid this week's estimates that the cost of reconstruction could run into the tens of billions of dollars.
CNN senior White House correspondent John King is in Crawford, Texas outside the president's ranch there. Hello to you, John.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Fredricka. Perhaps even more than 100 billion if you take the long view at Iraqi reconstruction over the next five to ten years, U.S. officials say.
The administration is focusing though, as you noted, right now on an emergency spending request. We're told by senior administration officials look for something in the area of $2.5 to $3 billion in an emergency spending request to go up from the White House to Congress over the next several weeks.
Now, that would not be the end for this year. There would be another supplemental budget request put up later this fall. That, we're told, will be in the tens of billions of dollars.
Two top priorities right now. This first emergency spending request would be to help keep the transitional government up and running in Iraq and to put more money into the reconstruction pipeline. The president's civilian appointee in Iraq, Ambassador Paul Bremer, says the Iraqi people need to see evidence that the coalition is rebuilding the roads, getting power plants back up and running, getting the oil industry back up and running.
So to try to give them that evidence of progress, they're trying to move quickly on the reconstruction effort. Ambassador Bremer says he needs money now.
So again we are told the Bush administration likely to ask for about $2.5 billion to $3 billion in the short-term, then tens of billions more later this fall.
Look for Congress to ask many questions. The money is likely forthcoming, but many in Congress are not happy, thinking the administration has been less than forthcoming in terms estimating the cost of how much this will cost in terms of reconstruction on the one hand and, of course, the continuing troop deployment on the other -- Fredricka. WHITFIELD: And, John, does more money a also translate into paying for the sending of more troops to the region as well?
KING: Well the White House insists at the moment it does not need anymore troops. It says if the generals on the ground ask for them, they will get them.
The question now is can the administration get some international help? There is a new effort at the United Nations to create a multinational force that would get -- you need a new Security Council resolution to do this -- you'd create a multinational force.
But it would not be the traditional blue helmet U.N. peacekeeping force. The Americans would stay in charge. It's controversial. The administration is trying to get acceptable language for a new U.N. Security Council resolution that would allow more international troops to come in. And, over time, and again, this is still a big if -- but if it comes about over time you could start to rotate U.S. troops home if more international countries were taking part in the coalition.
WHITFIELD: All right, John King in Crawford, Texas. Thanks very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
