There are new indications the Bush administration is about to ask Congress for a massive increase in funding for Iraq.
The White House has made no secret of the fact it will request more money for Iraq in the near future.
Officials say the budget proposal is a work in progress, and refuse to speculate in public about the dollars and cents involved.
But there are now strong indications the total will be far greater than anyone predicted and perhaps double what Congress expected.
The Washington Post newspaper, quoting sources on Capital Hill, says the Bush administration will ask for between $60 and $70 billion in additional funds for reconstruction and military operations. Congressional aides tell the Post that most of the money, about $55 billion, would likely go to the Pentagon.
This request would come on top of a $79 billion war budget signed by the president in April. Ongoing military operations are usually funded in this way, with the president approaching Congress for money on an as needed basis.