Article: Kucinich Asks: What About Housing, Education And Health?

$1.9 Trillion for Iraq War, Says CBO

Washington, Oct 24 - Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) released the following statement in response to a new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report showing the Iraq war could total $1.9 trillion through 2017.

“With the price of housing, education and health care continuing to rise, imagine what we could do if we had an extra $1.9 trillion to spend on these domestic priorities. Imagine how many students could receive a four-year, quality, college education. Imagine how many people could receive affordable, high-quality health care. Imagine how many homeless people would now have a home,” Kucinich said.

“With the price of housing, education and health care continuing to rise, imagine what we could do if we had an extra $1.9 trillion to spend on these domestic priorities. Imagine how many students could receive a four-year, quality, college education. Imagine how many people could receive affordable, high-quality health care. Imagine how many homeless people would now have a home,” Kucinich said.

“Americans will spend almost $2 trillion in Iraq, but the longer term costs have included undermining America’s moral authority in the world, the separation of America from the nations and the peoples of the world, and the destruction of a domestic agenda which is being deferred while we borrow money from China to fight the war in Baghdad.”

Congress has appropriated $604 billion to date for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with about $412 billion spent in Iraq, according to the CBO. The CBO is a nonpartisan, in-house budget analyst for Congress.

CBO estimated that between 2008 and 2017, the wars could cost slightly more than $1 trillion, assuming overall troop strength is cut to 75,000 by 2013, according to Reuters News. The CBO also estimated that the interest costs alone could total more than $700 billion -- or nearly $8,000 for every individual in the country.

“The Democratic leadership in Congress has the power right now to tell the President: “We will not give you one more dime for this war. We do not have to keep funding this illegal and immoral war. It does not take a vote.”

“Each year this war is getting more and more costly – both in the amount of money spent and in the number of lives lost. There is no end in sight. The President’s current request of $196 billion for one year alone will only continue to keep us on a path of destruction and chaos.

“Where’s Congress? When will Congress stand up and end the war?” Kucinich concluded.