War Adds to Concern About Bleak Budget
Lawmakers worry war costs may affect education funding
By Charles Dervarics
While most federal lawmakers are supporting the U.S. troops in Iraq, the issue of who pays for the second Gulf war — and the implications for education — is emerging as a source of mounting concern on Capitol Hill.
Both chambers of the U.S. Congress last month passed 2004 budget plans and authorized tax cuts without an estimate of the war’s cost from the administration. A few days later President Bush asked Congress for $75 billion to cover the cost of the current military operation.
