Obama to ask Congress for $200 billion for war spending

From Mike Mount
CNN Pentagon Reporter

WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Barack Obama will ask Congress for more than $200 billion to fund U.S. war efforts for the next year and a half, according to defense officials.

The request will be for $75.5 billion for 2009, to cover the cost of sending more troops to Afghanistan this year, and an additional $130 billion for rest of fiscal 2009, according to the sources.

War spending for 2010 will be part of the president's overall defense funding request, to be announced Thursday, and will be in addition to $534 billion for the Defense Department's other expenditures, which the president is expected to request from Congress.

Congress gave the Pentagon $65.9 billion for the first half of fiscal 2009.