Iraq Has Cost U.S. Taxpayers Over $650 Billion

Bush’s fruitless nation-building of Iraq has so far cost U.S. taxpayers over $650 billion–more than 75% of all funds allocated to the ‘War on Terrorism’. Iraq Has Cost U.S. Taxpayers Over $650 BillionBy Cliff Montgomery – Nov. 12th, 2008Below quotes the summary of a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report published on Oct. 15th, 2008, which breaks down the current cost of that panacea known as Bush’s Global War On Terror (GWOT).Through it we discover that Bush’s fruitless nation-building of Iraq, which of course has never had anything to do with al-Qaeda or its Sept. 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks on America, has so far cost U.S. taxpayers over $650 billion–more than 75% of all funds allocated to the “War on Terrorism”.We reproduce the summary from that CRS study below:“With enactment of the FY2008 Supplemental and FY2009 Bridge Fund on June 30, 2008, Congress has approved a total of about $864 billion for military operations, base security, reconstruction, foreign aid, embassy costs, and veterans’ health care for the three operations initiated since the 9/11 attacks: Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) Afghanistan and other counter terror operations; Operation Noble Eagle (ONE), providing enhanced security at military bases; and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF).”This $864 billion total covers all war-related appropriations from FY2001 through part of FY2009 in supplementals, regular appropriations, and continuing resolutions. Of that total, CRS estimates that Iraq will receive about $657 billion (76%), OEF about $173 billion (20%), and enhanced base security about $28 billion (3%), with about $5 billion that CRS cannot allocate (1%).”About 94% of the funds are for DOD (Department of Defense), 6% for foreign aid programs and embassy operations, and less than 1% for medical care for veterans. As of July 2008, DOD’s monthly obligations for contracts and pay averaged about $12.3 billion, including $9.9 billion for Iraq, and $2.4 billion for Afghanistan.”The recently enacted FY2008 Supplemental includes a total of about $160 billion for war costs for the Department of Defense (DOD) for the rest of FY2008 and part of FY2009. Funds are expected to last until June or July 2009 well into a new Administration. The Administration did not submit a request to cover all of FY2009.”While Congress provided a total of $188 billion for war costs in FY2008 — $17 billion more than the prior year — this total was a cut of about $14 billion to the Administration’s request, including both reductions in DOD’s investment accounts and substitutions of almost $6 billion in non-war funding. CRS figures exclude non-war funding.”Congress also cut funding for foreign aid and diplomatic operations for Iraq and Afghanistan by $1.4 billion, providing a total of $4.5 billion. For FY2009, Congress provided $67 billion, close to the request. Earlier, to tide DOD over until passage of the supplemental, the House and Senate appropriations committees approved part of a DOD request to transfer funds from its regular accounts.”In an August 2008 update, the Congressional Budget Office projected that additional war costs for the next ten years from FY2009 through FY2018 could range from $440 billion–if troop levels fell to 30,000 by 2010–to $865 billion, if troop levels fell to 75,000 by about 2013.”Under these CBO projections, funding for Iraq, Afghanistan and the GWOT (Global War On Terror) could total about $1.3 trillion or about $1.7 trillion for FY2001-FY2018.”Like what you’re reading so far? Then why not order a full year (52 issues) of thee-newsletter for only $15? A major article covering an story not being told in the Corporate Press will be delivered to your email every Monday morning for a full year, for less than 30 cents an issue. Order Now! Wait, why does an independent news source run advertisements? The Spark answers in its advertising policy. * Please check out our ads–they help keep this news site running. Thanks!