WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, chairman of the Senate committee that oversees how the nation pays for war, said he supports President Obama's plan to send 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan.

The president announced in a speech last night he will send the additional troops early next year, which will bring the total number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan to more than 100,000.

Inouye was among a select group of lawmakers who met with the president before his speech.

"I support the president's plan, and I left the briefing convinced that he had presented a good, workable strategy, and that it should be supported by all members of Congress," said Inouye, D-Hawai'i, who was awarded a Medal of Honor for combat service in World War II.

In March, Obama ordered 21,000 more troops to Afghanistan, bringing the number to roughly 68,000. There are more than 1,000 Marines and sailors from Hawai'i in the country.

Obama, who announced the new troop increase in a speech at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., has called the Afghanistan campaign "a war of necessity."

Inouye chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, which will have a powerful voice in the war's funding.

He has raised deep concerns about its costs: $100 billion a year — perhaps more if Obama decides to escalate troop levels again.

Inouye visited Afghanistan in October.

"I look forward to discussing how we will fund this strategy with my colleagues in the House and Senate," he said. "We will provide our soldiers all of the resources necessary to complete their mission. At the same time, we must also be cognizant of the current economic condition and the cost that taxpayers will bear as a result of a major increase in war funding."

U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawai'i, said he's withholding detailed comment until the House Armed Services Committee, where he is senior, has a chance to ask questions about the war's future.

"What needs to be emphasized now is the complete support for the troops," Abercrombie said yesterday.

He and Inouye will play central roles in questioning top war policymakers in the coming weeks.

So far, the war in Afghanistan has cost $288.2 billion above the annual Pentagon budget. It has been financed largely through defense add-ons.

It comes as U.S. casualties in Afghanistan have risen steadily over recent months.

This year has been the deadliest for U.S. troops in Afghanistan, with 58 killed in the region in October, according to the Defense Department. That eclipsed the previous high of 51 in August.

More than 920 Americans have died in Operation Enduring Freedom, which began with an invasion in October 2001.

Obama's decision to increase troop levels followed months of meetings with his national security team in which leading voices argued competing philosophies: Go in strong and run a classic counter-insurgency campaign, or pull back and strike al-Qaida at opportune moments.

The White House deliberations followed a request from Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, for 40,000 more troops in addition to the 68,000 already there.

McChrystal maintained that the mission in Afghanistan was in danger of failing without a significant troop increase.

More recently, Karl Eikenberry, the U.S. ambassador in Kabul and the former top military commander in Afghanistan, sent cables to Obama voicing concerns about adding troops, fearing an open-ended commitment.

Obama has said he will not commit more forces without an exit strategy.