Delays likely for U.S. war funds

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 (UPI) -- Funding for U.S. military efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq will likely be delayed due to the U.S. Senate not taking up that spending bill soon.

The Hill, a Washington newspaper, said Friday that with Senate defense appropriators not planning on voting on a 2008 emergency supplemental spending bill until October, funding for the overseas military efforts could become very limited.

In addition to the possible delays in funding, U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, said Friday that the wars could ultimately be funded in three-month increments.

A $460 billion defense base budget for the next fiscal year has already been passed by the House of Representatives but lacks Senate approval.

That budget came as the White House requested $147 billion in supplemental aid for the military endeavors. A request for an additional $50 billion in funding is also expected to come from the White House sometime this year.

The Hill said that if none of the funding efforts are passed, the Congress would have to develop a continuing resolution that would help fund the wars.