Pentagon may trim programs to fund Iraq operations

The Pentagon may be considering a plan to trim some funding from military programs to pay for the rising cost of operations in Iraq, according to congressional aides who said a list of potential cuts is being vetted internally, and could be delivered to lawmakers in early May.

Pentagon officials would not confirm the existence of such a list, but noted that a regular mid-term budget review is due to be delivered to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld May 10 that could result in some recommendations to shift existing funding.

Last week, Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told lawmakers that the Pentagon is evaluating whether it needs more money for Iraq before the end of this year.

The Pentagon in its fiscal 2005 budget request did not ask for any money to pay for operations in Iraq, and officials have insisted that the military has ample resources to cover war costs until the White House seeks an estimated $50 billion emergency supplemental appropriation in January.

But last week, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the administration would request a supplemental "if we think one is necessary, when one is necessary." Previously, White House and Pentagon officials had said a request for supplemental funding would not come before the November elections.

"We thought before, with what the services were identifying as shortfalls, that we could bridge the gap for the last month of this fiscal year," Myers told lawmakers. "I think we just have to ensure ourselves that's still true, given the higher expenses we have now."

In the meantime, bipartisan support for a fiscal 2005 supplemental appropriation is growing among lawmakers, who increasingly see a need to fund more troops and equipment in Iraq before the administration's anticipated supplemental budget request early next year.