TRANSPORT  (CONT)

In the memo, England said the emergency funding requests should include reset costs for combat losses, accelerated wear and necessary repairs for equipment, or upgrades to newer models when repairs were not economically feasible.

But Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain and some other lawmakers are alarmed about continued use of "emergency" funding requests when the war in Iraq has been under way for over three years. Such requests should be reserved for true emergency situations, they argue.

With the latest bill passed last month, Congress has approved about $507 billion in spending for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, under some 13 "emergency" spending requests, according to the Congressional Research Service.
That compares to two supplemental requests made during 11 years of fighting in Vietnam several decades ago, and just one request for the Korean War, according to a congressional aide.

Thompson said Rumsfeld was clearly challenging Congress.

"Rumsfeld is playing budgetary chicken with Capitol Hill. Congress is saying it's time to stop doing budgeting outside the regular process, and the secretary is saying, 'Well, give us the money we need to defend the nation'," Thompson said.

In recent months, top military brass have called for more defense dollars, arguing that current spending as a percentage of gross domestic product is lower than during other wars.

Army officials say they can accurately calculate war costs this far into the conflict, but the White House does not want those costs included in the base budget.

Defense consultant Jim McAleese said the White House took exception to a clause in the 2007 defense spending law, which required the Pentagon to include all foreseeable Iraq and Afghanistan war costs within its 2008 budget.

Given that, he predicted the Bush administration could try to ram through a 2007 emergency budget during the congressional "lame duck" session in November and December.

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