Senator Herb Kohl, the Wisconsin Democrat who chairs a subcommittee on agriculture appropriations, said lawmakers would seek the additional food aid funds as part of a massive Iraq war funding bill.

Sen Kohl said in a statement that an extra US$395 million would also be sought for fiscal 2009 in the Appropriation Committee's final version of the supplemental bill in order to help cope with a 'perfect storm' of hunger.

'The world's supply of food is down, while food demand is up, food costs are skyrocketing and entire societies are falling apart as a direct consequence,' he said.

The House of Representatives, as well, is angling to add US$500 million to the US$350 million the Bush administration has requested in supplemental food aid funding for fiscal 2008.

In recent years, supplemental funds for food aid have become a regular addition to annual budgeted funds.

War funding bill
The war funding bill is scheduled to be debated on the House floor and also in the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday.

It was unclear if Mr Bush, who has said he wants a supplemental bill worth US$108 billion, will veto the measure if it is too large or if it shackles him in Iraq.

The United States, the world's top donor of food aid, has provided around US$1.6 billion to US$1.7 billion in recent years through the Agency for International Development.

But its aid budget, and that of other donors, has been able to buy far less food this year due to the spiraling prices for food, which jumped 43 per cent globally through March, and for crude oil, which has forged new ground above US$120 a barrel.

Mr Bush has said he's deeply concerned about the global food price crisis, and last week asked Congress for the extra US$395 million in emergency food aid in 2009 as part of a package of US$770 million in food assistance and agriculture development. -- REUTERS