The Cost of War Story aired: Wednesday, May 03, 2006
News stories this week have focused on the high cost of reconstructing Iraq. For instance, we've learned that a $186 million project to build more than 100 health clinics in Iraq has produced only six so far.
But little has been written about the cost of the war itself.
Today the Senate is expected to pass an emergency spending bill that would allocate $71 billion this year to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And the research arm of Congress, the Congressional Research Service, has just released a report to assist lawmakers. It says the military burns through $2 billion a week in Iraq. And that it now costs approximately $361,000 a year per American soldier there.
Guests:
Amy Belasco, defense specialist at the Congressional Research Service
