Washington -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told Congress September 24 that a Bush administration supplemental budget request of $87 billion is essential for the security of the United States and to ensure stability in Iraq, Afghanistan, and throughout the Middle East.

President Bush outlined his budgetary plans for Iraq and Afghanistan in a speech September 7 and formally sent the request to Congress September 17. In that request Bush wrote: "I am submitting a request for 2004 supplemental appropriations for ongoing military and intelligence operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. Our men and women in uniform, alongside our coalition partners, are bringing peace and stability to Iraq and fighting the terrorist threat. In Afghanistan, our Armed Forces continue to track down terrorists and provide security as the Afghan people rebuild their nation."

Bush said his request also supports the reconstruction efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. "These reconstruction funds are essential to secure the transition to self-government and to create conditions for economic growth and investment," he said.

The request consists of $51 billion for continuing military operations in Iraq and approximately $11.5 billion for military operations in Afghanistan. It also includes $20.3 billion for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq and $800 million for reconstruction in Afghanistan as well as approximately $4 billion in funding for the Department of State and other activities such as security enhancements.

Acknowledging to members of the Senate Appropriations Committee that the request Bush has submitted is large, Rumsfeld said that it was "necessary for the security of our nation and the stability of the world."

"I believe our nation can afford whatever it takes to defend our people, to defend our way of life and to defend our vital interests," Rumsfeld said. "To defend freedom in the 21st century, we need to root out terrorists. We need to take the battle to the terrorists, and we need to help the now-free people in Iraq and Afghanistan rebuild from the rubble of tyranny and claim their places as responsible members of the community of nations."

Rumsfeld said the United States and its coalition partners must leave Iraq and Afghanistan better than they found it with "no more mass graves, no more prisons filled with people -- we can leave it by investing in the kinds of security that we're talking about here."

He said the funds for the Coalition Provisional Authority are needed to help the Iraqis take responsibility for their own security and will provide training for the Iraqi police force, Iraqi Army, and border guard service. Funding for continuing military operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan will provide for military pay, fuel, transportation, maintenance, weapons, equipment, lifesaving body armor and ammunition, he said.

Rumsfeld, Air Force General Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Army General John Abizaid, commander in charge of the U.S. Central Command, appeared before the Senate committee to bolster congressional support for the Bush administration's request.

While Rumsfeld was testifying before the Appropriations Committee, Ambassador Paul Bremer, the Coalition Provisional Authority administrator in Iraq, was testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about the reconstruction funding. It was his third appearance before a Congressional committee in recent days, and he was also scheduled to appear before a House Appropriations subcommittee later September 24. Bremer is scheduled to meet with two other committees on September 25.

Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Richard Lugar, an Indiana Republican, said during his committee's hearing with Bremer that a five-year plan for Iraq would demonstrate commitment, promote realistic budgeting and help prevent policy drift.

"A long-term plan is crucial to reaffirm and maintain the support of the American and Iraqi people and to bring aboard international partners," Lugar said. "Iraqis must have confidence that Americans and the world community will stay until a self-sufficient, independent Iraq is realized."

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a Texas Republican, said earlier in the week that the additional spending request could come before the full House of Representatives during the week of October 6.