Mr George W. Bush last night asked for $75 billion in emergency funding to pay for the military campaign in Iraq and to reward key allies supporting the war effort.
The US president is counting on the Republican-led Congress to take swift action on the spending package, which includes about $63 billion for the Pentagon for the Iraq mobilisation as well as the "war on terrorism".
A senior administration official said the cost estimate was based on six months of military activity but acknowledged: "There's so much we don't know".
The war budget provides close to $4 billion to bolster security in the United States against terrorism and about $5 billion in bilateral foreign aid, including billions for Middle East allies Israel, Jordan, Egypt and Turkey.
It also includes $3.5 billion as a down payment on Iraq's reconstruction and for humanitarian relief, US officials said.
Several members of Mr Bush's "coalition of the willing," including Afghanistan, Colombia and the Philippines, will also receive US aid.
Despite last-minute lobbying by major airlines and their congressional allies, the White House will not include funds for carriers preparing for a drop-off in business during a prolonged conflict.