WASHINGTON — Nearly a year ago, Army officials and their allies warned that a "disaster is looming" because of congressional delays in passing a war spending bill. Within weeks, funding for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan would be "completely exhausted," they argued.
Thanks to political wrangling, the funding didn't come in time. But the consequences were far less dire than predicted. The Army pushed hard on the brakes of several spending accounts, canceling nonessential travel and sending cargo overland rather than by plane, for instance. But the war effort was largely unaffected.
Now, with the president and Congress on a collision course over this year's war funding bill, questions have again arisen over when money for the war effort truly runs out. But this time, it has far more political baggage attached.
Congressional Democrats have passed the nearly $100-billion emergency spending bill, but the money is conditioned on troop withdrawals by next year. President Bush has vowed to veto any legislation with such strings attached.
"The clock is ticking for our troops in the field," Bush said last week, demanding that Congress provide "vital funds for our troops."
The administration argues the Pentagon already has been forced to raid key weapons programs to find money for armored vehicles needed by troops in battle zones. And Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates warned that by mid-April, training for units deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan could be hampered.
But even as the administration warns of dire consequences, White House and Pentagon officials already have begun to add caveats to such claims. White House spokeswoman Dana Perino noted last week that the military has been able to find money for essential operations from elsewhere in its budget.
And a senior Pentagon official, who like others spoke on condition of anonymity when discussing internal debates, said Gates was warned by his staff to be cautious with "doomsday" predictions, since the military always seems to find money for war operations even while insisting that it can't tighten its belt any more.
"My experience is there are always two more holes left in that belt," the official said.
Wars aside, the Pentagon is given nearly $500 billion a year by Congress. But that money is committed to the daily operation of the nation's armed services as well as the department's large weapons programs, and its use is tightly restricted under federal laws.
