THE US: President Bush has asked Congress to approve a $27.1 billion supplementary budget largely to help the fight against terrorism at home and abroad.
The request is $12 billion more than expected but is likely to be approved as Democrats had unsuccessfully urged additional measures totalling $7 billion only months ago. It comes on top of the $41 billion emergency spending approved immediately after September 11th.
Included in the package is $372 million for allies fighting terrorism abroad, specifically cash for Colombia ($114 million), Ecuador and several Middle East and central Asian countries. Part of the budget is also allocated to the reward scheme offering up to $250,000 for information on al-Qaeda leaders.
The Defence Department would get $14 billion, $6.7 billion would go to military and intelligence operations and $4.1 billion to the reserve and National Guard personnel on call-up. Much of the $.7 billion which will go to the Transportation Department is for new security measures at airports.
The State Department will get $436 million, largely to beef up embassy defences. New York City is to get an additional $5.6 billion to help relief work and aid displaced workers. A hundred new federal officials will be hired, at a cost of $20 million, to help investigate corporate fraud in the wake of the Enron scandal.
The additional spending is likely to push the expected $46 billion government deficit for this year up to $73 billion.
Meanwhile, a MORI poll published in next week's Time magazine reveals that British approval of the way both President Bush and the Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, are handling the response to the terrorist attacks has fallen sharply since late last year.
Approval of Mr Bush's performance in the crisis has dropped to 50 per cent from 66 per cent in November, while Mr Blair's approval is down from 71 per cent to 52 per cent.
