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Bush Request for Iraq Draws Criticism
Aired September 08, 2003 - 15:33 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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush goes to Tennessee to put the spotlight on his no child left behind initiative. But much attention is still focused on the president's call for $87 billion more for Iraq and Afghanistan. That compares to $52 billion that the U.S. spent this year on its schools. CNN's White House correspondent Dana Bash is with the president in Nashville -- Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra. Well there was certainly a lot of criticism from Democrats, especially those vying for President Bush's job about the fact that they believe that the president's speech last night was long on rhetoric and short on specifics.
But there was, of course, once announcement and that was, as you mentioned, $87 billion that the president will be requesting from Congress to fund Iraq and Afghanistan. And that is a large number that surprised many on Capitol Hill.
But a lot of Republicans, particularly Congressional Republicans, had been encouraging the president to be bold in this request because nobody at the White House or on Capitol Hill wanted to go back, again, for more money, especially in a Congressional year.
Now, the White House earlier today released some of the broad specifics of what would be in this request. In terms of the military operations for Iraq, $51 billion they're asking for and that would be for troops and equipment and for help, support for the coalition.
Now under Iraqi reconstruction, the estimated cost according to the White House today, is between $50 billion and $75 billion. The administration asked from today Congress for $20 billion. And that leaves for Iraqi -- from Iraqis and other international sources $30 billion to $55 billion that the United States will have to find in order to match what their estimates are to help with Iraqi reconstruction.
And that brings the administration to their current strategy at the United Nations, going there in order to get to more support from around the world, not only with troops, but with funding and with broad support for the reconstruction effort which the president made clear is not going to be shortcoming. It's going to certainly take a long time.
But the whole question of the funding brought a lot of criticism from Democrats, even some Republicans, because there is close to a $500 billion deficit right now. And many are asking the president how he intends to pay for it. What they are saying is they want to know exactly -- not only the specifics of what the money will be spent on, but how exactly this will not add to the growing deficit.
What the White House said this morning, according to White House spokesman Scott McClellan is that they still believe that the deficit is manageable and that they intend to hold down the deficit, to cut the deficit by economic growth and also by Congressional spending, cutting Congressional spending.
And that is also drawing criticism from Democrats, particularly, for example, on a day like today when the president is coming here to Nashville to talk about education. And senators like Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts is saying that the president is being disingenuous in talking about education, not funding it enough, and still asking for $87 billion for the war in Iraq. Back to you, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Dana Bash. Thank you.
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 September 8, 2003 - 15:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush goes to Tennessee to put the spotlight on his no child left behind initiative. But much attention is still focused on the president's call for $87 billion more for Iraq and Afghanistan. That compares to $52 billion that the U.S. spent this year on its schools. CNN's White House correspondent Dana Bash is with the president in Nashville -- Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra. Well there was certainly a lot of criticism from Democrats, especially those vying for President Bush's job about the fact that they believe that the president's speech last night was long on rhetoric and short on specifics.
But there was, of course, once announcement and that was, as you mentioned, $87 billion that the president will be requesting from Congress to fund Iraq and Afghanistan. And that is a large number that surprised many on Capitol Hill.
But a lot of Republicans, particularly Congressional Republicans, had been encouraging the president to be bold in this request because nobody at the White House or on Capitol Hill wanted to go back, again, for more money, especially in a Congressional year.
Now, the White House earlier today released some of the broad specifics of what would be in this request. In terms of the military operations for Iraq, $51 billion they're asking for and that would be for troops and equipment and for help, support for the coalition.
Now under Iraqi reconstruction, the estimated cost according to the White House today, is between $50 billion and $75 billion. The administration asked from today Congress for $20 billion. And that leaves for Iraqi -- from Iraqis and other international sources $30 billion to $55 billion that the United States will have to find in order to match what their estimates are to help with Iraqi reconstruction.
And that brings the administration to their current strategy at the United Nations, going there in order to get to more support from around the world, not only with troops, but with funding and with broad support for the reconstruction effort which the president made clear is not going to be shortcoming. It's going to certainly take a long time.
But the whole question of the funding brought a lot of criticism from Democrats, even some Republicans, because there is close to a $500 billion deficit right now. And many are asking the president how he intends to pay for it. What they are saying is they want to know exactly -- not only the specifics of what the money will be spent on, but how exactly this will not add to the growing deficit.
What the White House said this morning, according to White House spokesman Scott McClellan is that they still believe that the deficit is manageable and that they intend to hold down the deficit, to cut the deficit by economic growth and also by Congressional spending, cutting Congressional spending.
And that is also drawing criticism from Democrats, particularly, for example, on a day like today when the president is coming here to Nashville to talk about education. And senators like Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts is saying that the president is being disingenuous in talking about education, not funding it enough, and still asking for $87 billion for the war in Iraq. Back to you, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Dana Bash. Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
