The Bush administration asked for an additional US$42.3 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, bringing the 2008 request for total war funding to US$189.3 billion.

 

The request comes on top of US$147 billion already sought for in the wars.

 

Most of the money goes to Iraq, which is costing the Pentagon an estimated US$2 billion a week.

 

"Parts of this war are complicated, but one part is not -- and that is that America should do what it takes to support our troops and protect our people," US President George W. Bush said in an appearance with members of veterans groups at the White House.

 

Bush said the money will cover basic operating expenses, plus additional armored vehicles and countermeasures designed to protect US troops from roadside bombs.

 

"Congress should not go home for the holidays while our troops are still waiting for the funds they need," he said.

 

The president also called on Congress to finish the appropriations bills that fund the Pentagon and Department of Veterans Affairs before lawmakers' holiday recess, set to begin in mid-November.

 

The request is bound to kick off another debate on Capitol Hill over the course of the Iraq war.

 

Bush's last supplemental spending request led to a showdown with the Democratic leaders of Congress, who pushed for a withdrawal of American combat troops in 2008 -- a demand dropped after the president vetoed the measure.

 

Minutes after Bush spoke, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, warned the president not to expect Congress to "rubber-stamp" the latest request.

 

"In the coming weeks, we will hold it up to the light of day and fight for the change of strategy and redeployment of troops that is long overdue," Reid said.

 

He said the new request means the overall cost of the widely unpopular war now approaches US$650 billion since the March 2003 invasion.

 

(Xinhua News Agency October 23, 2007)