Sept. 1 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. President George W. Bush will ask Congress to approve $10.5 billion in emergency spending to help pay for cleanup costs associated with Hurricane Katrina, Republicans familiar with the plan said.

Bush may send his proposal to Congress as early as Friday as lawmakers cut short their recess and return to Washington, the officials said.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak with the press, said $10 billion would go to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is leading the emergency response to the hurricane, and $500 million would be for the Defense Department, which also is participating in the recovery.

New York Democratic Senator Charles Schumer said Congress would vote on the disaster relief within 24 hours. ``We will do everything we can to make sure that New Orleans and the rest of the Gulf region gets the funds and support to recover and rebuild,'' Schumer said in a statement.

Bush, who will tour areas of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana affected by the hurricane tomorrow, also appointed former President Bill Clinton and his father, former President George H.W. Bush, to lead a nationwide fund-raising effort.

``The former presidents will ask Americans to open their hearts, and their wallets, to those in need,'' Bush said in an Oval Office speech with both former presidents at his side. ``I am confident the American people will respond.''

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said today the federal government has committed to spend $2 billion on emergency aid so far. Katrina swept over Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and western Florida three days ago with 140-mile-an-hour winds.

The storm caused an estimated $25 billion in damage, which would make it the costliest U.S. natural disaster. It killed an untold number of people and destroyed commerce along the Gulf Coast region, which produces a third of the nation's oil, a fifth of its natural gas and handles 40 percent of U.S. grain exports.

To contact the reporter on this story: Richard Keil in Washington at dkeil@bloomberg.net; Roger Runningen in Washington at rrunningen@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: September 1, 2005 15:46 EDT