Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staffs Admiral Michael Mullen: "We need
[the supplemental appropriations bill] very badly before the Memorial Day
recess. We stop paying soldiers on the 15th of June and we have precious
little flexibility with respect to that. Clearly that creates incredible
constraints and difficulties for us."



    WASHINGTON, May 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following was issued
today by the office of House Republican Whip Roy Blunt:



    May 5, 2008

    By George Cahlink,

    CongressNow Staff





    Adm. Michael Mullen, the nation's top military officer, has a warning
for Congressional leaders wrestling with the time frame for passing a
massive war spending bill: The Pentagon is dangerously close to running out
of money.



    "We need [the supplemental appropriations bill] very badly before the
Memorial Day recess. We stop paying soldiers on the 15th of June and we
have precious little flexibility with respect to that," Mullen, the
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in an interview at his Pentagon
office last week. "Clearly that creates incredible constraints and
difficulties for us."



    Without the extra funding, Mullen said, the Defense Department would be
forced to delay contract awards and withhold other spending to pay for the
Iraq and Afghanistan wars. "It makes it extremely difficult to execute the
day-to-day business of the Pentagon without knowing the money is coming,"
he said.



    It's hardly new for the Pentagon to issue a dire warning about being
strapped for cash. Defense officials in recent years have repeatedly warned
of massive layoffs if supplemental spending bills were not passed.



    In all cases, lawmakers approved the bills before drastic cutbacks were
necessary. Nonetheless, the warnings can be a powerful political weapon in
an election year and are a concern as Congressional leaders plot a path
forward on the spending bill.



    Lawmakers are currently reviewing a $108 billion proposal that would
cover the war costs for the remainder of fiscal 2008. While Democrats have
suggested for weeks that the bill would be passed before the break, top
leaders last week were uncertain as to when the bill would hit the House
and Senate floors.



    Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) told reporters, "I think
we'll do our best to finish this before the Memorial Day break, but if we
don't, it's no big deal. There's money there." House Majority Leader Steny
Hoyer (D-Md.) said late last week that he was not sure the House would be
ready to consider the measure this week.



    Mullen said the Pentagon could not afford to have any money cut from
its request. "The $108 billion is a good number," he said. "We have been
pretty vigorous and rigorous about scrubbing that and I am comfortable with
it."



    While Democrats seem to lack support to force troop withdrawals in the
bill, bipartisan support is building in both chambers for a provision to
force Iraqis to share more of the reconstruction costs. For example, the
Senate Armed Services Committee backed a bipartisan measure in the Defense
authorization bill last week prohibiting the Pentagon from paying for Iraq
infrastructure projects that cost more than $2 million. A similar provision
could make its way into the supplemental.



    Mullen said Iraq should pay "as much as it can" of the reconstruction
costs, noting Iraq has a roughly $60 billion annual surplus. Still, he
said, Congress should be cautious in shifting responsibility because Iraq
lacks the capacity to manage all reconstruction projects.



    "Certainly it makes sense to me that... the Iraq government bear more
of the financial burden of what's going on in Iraq," he added.



    On Afghanistan, Mullen -- who last month told Congress that he was
"deeply concerned" about deteriorating security conditions there --
predicted an even more violent year this year than last for troops on the
ground as they battle insurgent forces. But he has stopped short of asking
lawmakers for more troops for Afghanistan.



    "Iraqis the No. 1 priority right now, and should forces become
available down the road out of Iraq, then they would very likely [move]
into Afghanistan," Mullen said. He suggested as many as 12,000 more troops
from the United States and other countries eventually would be needed in
Afghanistan, once a contingent of 3,500 Marines leaves the country later
this year.



    "There will be a need for more forces down the road, but they are not
going to be available unless we come down from current levels we are in in
Iraq," Mullen said, adding that the forces could include two combat
brigades and 3,000 trainers for Afghan forces. He stressed that the
military had yet to formally request those forces.



    Some Democratic lawmakers have suggested the spending bill contain a
provision calling for the military to make Afghanistan its top priority.
Mullen declined to weigh in, saying Iraq remains at the top of his agenda
until the president and other national leaders say otherwise.



    Mullen also said he's bullish on the future prospects for Afghanistan.
"It's going to take a long time. I do not expect an overnight success in
Afghanistan. ...In the long run, I am optimistic about a positive outcome,"
he said.



    Some lawmakers have also questioned whether the military has been
"broken" by the demands of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Mullen disputed
that claim, but he said military leaders must be vigilant to ensure troop
readiness does not suffer under the strain of steady deployments.



    Despite partisan bickering, Mullen also made it clear that Congress on
the whole has given the military what it needs for Iraq and Afghanistan.



    "I appreciate over the years that the Congress has been a terrific
supporter of funding the troops for the needs that they have. There have
been many supplementals, and obviously there is always a heated discussion
around them. That said, in the end, Congress has provided the money for
which I am really grateful," he said.



    Jennifer Bendery and Ashley Roque contributed to this report.

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