March 23 In History: Bush Asked For Additional Funds So The US Could Fight Terrorism

George Bush (Sumber: Commons Wikimedia)

JAKARTA - On March 23, 2002, President George W. Bush's administration asked Congress to approve an emergency fund of USD 27 billion. The money will be used by Bush to strengthen domestic security, including rebuilding New York and waging a war on terrorism that shows signs of expanding the conflict outside Afghanistan.

From the request for funds, USD 14 billion will go to the Pentagon, the majority of which is to pay for military operations in Afghanistan. The US had more than 4.000 troops stationed and continued to fly a number of combat air patrols every day at that time.

Bush's request indicated that the White House would not reduce the cost of the war, then more than USD 2 billion per month. In addition to fighting terrorists, Bush will also allocate USD 5.6 billion for the development of New York.

Bush previously promised to give the city at least USD 20 billion to rebuild from the attacks of the World Trade Center (WTC). The sheer scale of the request for funds raised complaints among Democrats on Capitol Hill. Democrats want to reduce the deficit and take money from domestic programs.

"My most important task as your president is to protect the American people from any attack", Bush said while in El Paso while traveling to Mexico, citing the New York Times, Tuesday, March 23, 2021.

"I hope the US Congress honors my request for this important reason: whenever we harm US soldiers, we wish those soldiers the best equipment, the best training, additional pay increases", he added.

The USD 14 billion funds for the Pentagon are intended to cover expenses through the end of the fiscal year on September 30, 2002. The previous year's military costs had exceeded the allocation for martial law. Between September 11, 2001, and January 30, 2002, the Pentagon estimates it spent USD 11.8 billion, fighting in Afghanistan and flying air patrols over American cities.

Most of that USD 14 billion will be spent on basic military costs, including fuel, spare parts, ammunition, and salaries for the 80.000 National Guard and reservists that have been activated since September 11, 2001. But there are other plans that need to be fulfilled and costly. more funding is the development of a well-performing experimental weapons system in Afghanistan and unmanned aircraft, Pentagon officials said.

Another breakdown is USD 5.2 billion funds for domestic security programs, much of which will go to the new Department of Transportation Security to increase surveillance at airports. Bush is also looking to provide more than USD 1 billion in funding to countries identified as key allies in the fight against terrorism, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Yemen, Oman, and the Philippines.

The Democrats lurked

Bush's request was closely watched by Democrats, especially in the Senate. Senator Robert C. Byrd, a Democrat from West Virginia, hinted that he intended to question the government over its battle plans and spending.

Democrats have also criticized the government for blocking their efforts by the fall to find suitable money for many of the same goals. Democrats criticized the president to set spending levels for the campaign against terrorism.

In addition, Republicans in the House of Representatives have been reluctant to increase debt after campaigning on promises to reduce it. So Republican leaders have signaled that they will attach increased debt levels to military spending bills to provide political protection to their members.

*Read other information about TERRORISM or read other interesting writings from Putri Ainur Islam.

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