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View Full Version : How Much Does Afghanistan Surge Cost You?




bobbyw24
04-21-2010, 12:55 PM
This installment of "Taxpayer Calculator" will examine what it costs the military, and you, the taxpayer, to run two overseas wars.

President Obama announced in late 2009 a plan to send 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan. The administration sent its request for funds to Congress in February, but the bill hasn’t been voted on yet -- even though more than half of the troops are already in place now.

Because the cost of the surge wasn’t factored in when lawmakers were hashing out the 2010 budget, President Obama had to ask for an additional $33 billion to fund the surge.

You can find out how much of your salary goes to fund this war supplemental by using our Taxpayer Calculator:

http://www.foxnews.com/topics/politics/supplemental-spending.htm

The bill is expected to pass, but the House has been slow in taking it up. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., says they plan bring it the floor before the Memorial Day recess.

The additional war spending is on top of the Defense Department's base budget for 2010 of $661 billion. Asking for the extra cash separately is a move many commanders-in-chief, including President Bush during the Iraq surge, have done in the past.

A small fraction of that $33 billion supplemental request goes to projects in Iraq. The Iraqi Security Forces, for example, are set to receive $1 billion.

http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/04/21/how-much-does-afghanistan-surge-cost-you/