The total cost of the U.S. wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan could reach $2.4 trillion by 2017, according to a
Congressional report released Wednesday. Put into perspective, that
amounts to approximately $8,000 per current American citizen, including
those born today, or $21,500 per American household.
The
Congressional Budget Office, a government agency that provides
non-partisan budget analysis for the US Congress, compiled the figures.
The money includes $604
billion already spent on the conflicts, CBO Director Peter Orszag told
the House Budget Committee. It also includes over $400 for interest
payments, as the operations have relied heavily on borrowed funds.
The
figure would keep 75,000 troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan from
2013 to 2017, just over a third of current deployment. The CBO
estimates that reducing troop levels to 30,000 by 2010 would save $485
billion.
The figures include
military operations, diplomatic operations, veterans' medical care and
survivor benefits, among other costs. They do not include the
Pentagon's normal spending, estimated at $450 billion for 2007.
The
report was released just days after President Bush increased his 2008
defense spending request to $200 billion and urged Congress to approve
the funds before it's holiday recess.
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