2003, the Bush administration was requesting $2 billion in the annual budget

2003, the Bush administration was requesting $2 billion in the annual budget for biodefense, and President George W. Bush announced in his State of the Union address an additional $6 billion for Project Bioshield

"I ask you tonight to add to our future security with a major research and production effort to guard our people against bioterrorism called Project Bioshield.”

The funds were not about defending anyone from bioterrorism it was about creating bioweapons as we now know.