The Real Cost of the War in Iraq

The Real Cost of the Iraq War to American Taxpayers
$195 million per day Based on Department of Defense obligation data for fiscal year 2005, the daily cost of the Iraq war was $195 million, as of June 30, 2005. This amount reflects costs as they are incurred, not the total amount appropriated or available to the Department of Defense. It does not include costs for Iraq reconstruction.

For the cost of fighting the war in Iraq one day, we could…

HOMELAND SECURITY

· One day in Iraq could provide 3.97 million households with an emergency readiness kit. Source: Business Wire, American Family Safety Launch Brings Safety Kits to Americans, 9/15/05. (American Family Safety sells kits, which include the food and safety allotments recommended by DHS, for $49.)

· One day in Iraq could close the financing gap for interoperable communications in 41 small cities, 36 mid-sized cities, or 6 large cities so that federal, state and local first responders can talk to one another during an emergency. Source: U.S. Conference Of Mayors, June 2004 Interoperability Report. (Cities under 100,000 in population needed $4.7 million on average, cities between 100,000 and 400,000 needed $5.4 million on average, and cities over 400,000 needed $30 million on average.)

· One day in Iraq could purchase 780 fire trucks for improving local emergency response capabilities. Source: John Sztykiel, CEO of Spartan Motors, phone interview 9/19/05. (Average cost of truck is $250,000 dollars.)

· One day in Iraq could employ 4,919 fire fighters, 4,222 police patrol officers, or 7,052 paramedics and emergency medical technicians for one year each. Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Average annual salary for firefighter $39,640. Average annual salary for police & sheriff patrol officer $46,180. Average salary for paramedic/emergency medical technician $27, 650.)

· One day in Iraq could double the federal budget for nuclear reactor safety and security inspections to ensure that these potential terrorist targets are adequately protected. Source: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Performance Budget for Fiscal Year 2006, February 2005. (Reactor Inspection FY05 enacted full cost $179,798,000.)

· One day in Iraq could pay for 1,101 additional border patrol agents to better guard our borders against potential terrorists. Source: U.S. Budget for Fiscal Year 2006. ($37 million to hire 210 additional Border Patrol Agents, or $177,000 per agent.)

· One day in Iraq could provide 9,750 port container inspection units to detect hazardous materials being trafficked into the country. Source: “Trade Act of 2002,” Public Law 107-210, Section 312. ($500,000 allocated for 25 units, 1 unit costs $20,000.)

· One day in Iraq could provide 1,332 explosive trace detection portals for airport screening of passengers, as recommended by the 9/11 Commission. Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Transportation Security Administration Press Release, October 12, 2004. “TSA to Purchase Additional Explosive Trace Portals” (5 portals purchased for a price of $731,500 for an individual cost of $146,300.)

· One day in Iraq could provide 6,290 local law enforcement agencies a bomb-detecting robot. Source: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institutes of Justice, Vanguard Robot Assessment, July 2004. (Cost of single Vanguard Robot is $31,000.)

· One day in Iraq could provide 4,875 narcotics vapor and particle detectors. Source: “Trade Act of 2002,” Public Law 107-210, Section 312. ($1.6 million allocated for 40 detectors, 1 detector costs $40,000.)

EDUCATION

· One day in Iraq could cover the full cost of attendance for one year at a public college for more than 17,100 students. Source: The College Board. Trends in College Pricing 2004. (Average cost of tuition, room and board for a 4-year public institution $11,354 per year.)

· One day in Iraq could provide more than 79,000 needy college students with a Pell grant. Source: The College Board. Trends in Student Aid 2004. (Average Pell grant $2,466.)
· One day in Iraq could enroll 27,000 more children in Head Start. Source: The Department of Health and Human Services, Head Start Bureau. (Average per child cost of Head Start in FY04 was $7,222.)

· One day in Iraq could employ 4,269 elementary school teachers or 4,027 secondary school teachers for one year. Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. National Wage Data. May 2004. (Average annual elementary school teacher salary $45,670. Average annual secondary school teacher salary $48,420.)

HEALTH CARE

· One day in Iraq could provide health insurance coverage to 344,500 working Americans to give them a break from the rising cost of coverage. Source: Kaiser Family Commission. (Average employee contribution for single insurance $566.)

· One day in Iraq could provide health insurance coverage for one year to 380,900 uninsured children in America. Source: Kaiser Family Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, May 2004. (The cost to cover all uninsured children would be $4.3 billion more than is currently being spent.) U.S. Census Bureau (8.4 million uninsured children)

· One day in Iraq could employ 3,597 additional registered nurses for one year. Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Average salary for a Registered Nurse as of May 2004 $54,210.)

· One day in Iraq could immunize every person over 65 in the U.S. against influenza 4.6 times over. Source: Centers for Disease Control. (One dose of the influenza vaccine $1.20.) U.S. Census Bureau. (35 million people over 65)

· One day in Iraq could immunize every baby born in the U.S. last year against measles, mumps, and rubella 14.2 times. Source: Centers for Disease Control. (One dose of the MMR vaccine $1.67. Two doses required for full immunization.) U.S. Census Bureau. (4.1 million babies were born in the U.S. in 2004.)

LABOR

· One day in Iraq could provide unemployment benefits for almost 722,000 unemployed Americans for one week. Source: National Employment Law Project. (Average unemployment benefit $270 per week.)

· One day in Iraq could fund Social Security retirement benefits for one day for over 6.75 million Americans. Source: Social Security Administration. (Average retiree OASI daily benefit is $28.87.)

· One day in Iraq could provide comprehensive safety and health training to 121,875 workers. Source: Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (Cost $1,600 per worker.)

· One day in Iraq could pay for an increase of $3.34 per hour in the wages of every minimum wage worker in the country. Source: Economic Policy Institute. (7.3 million Americans would be affected by such an increase in the minimum wage.)

· One day in Iraq could provide paid sick leave to half a million workers for an entire year. Source: Institute for Women’s Policy Research, April 2005. (Under the Healthy Families Act, cost in wages and payroll taxes for newly covered workers would be $17,549.9 million plus $356.7 million in administrative costs; 1.08% of those not covered could be with $195 million; 46.3 million people not covered.)

BASIC NEEDS

· One day in Iraq could buy 71.55 million gallons of unleaded regular gasoline. Source: Department of Energy, Energy Information Agency. (Reflects average U.S. price per gallon of regular unleaded gasoline on August 29, 2005 of $2.73.)

· One day in Iraq could pay for one year’s gasoline consumption for 97,500 Americans, even at today’s elevated prices. Source: Consumer Federation of America. The Impact of Rising Prices on Household Gasoline Expenditures. September 2005. (The average American is expected to spend almost $2,000 on gasoline this year.)

· One day in Iraq could buy 63.1 million gallons of fortified whole milk. Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Consumer Price Index, Average Price Data. July 2005. (One gallon of fresh, whole fortified milk $3.09).

· One day in Iraq could buy 166.6 million cartons of large Grade A Eggs sold by the dozen. Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Consumer Price Index, Average Price Data. July 2005. (One dozen large Grade A eggs $1.17).

INTERNATIONAL

· One day in Iraq is equivalent to half of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country of East Timor. Source: CIA World Factbook. (2004 estimated GDP $370,000,000.)

· One day in Iraq could feed all of the starving children in the world today almost four and a half times over. Source: BBC, 2005. (0.29 cents per meal at 3 meals per day for 50 million children acutely malnourished.)

· One day in Iraq could vaccinate three-quarters of the children in Africa for measles and give millions a lifetime protection from the disease. Source: UNICEF, 2004. (Average cost of vaccinating a child for measles in Africa $0.80. 243.75M Children could be vaccinated with $195 million.) World Book, UN: 885M in Africa in 2005, 35% under age 14. Total 310 million kids.

· One day in Iraq could build 5,571 AIDS clinics in Africa. Source: MIT architecture Professor Jan Wampler. (He is planning to build AIDS clinics in Lusaka, Zambia this year and it costs $35,000 to build one four-building clinic.)

· One day in Iraq could provide 650,000 women in Africa living with HIV/AIDS antiretroviral treatment for one year to extend their lives and improve the lives of their children. Source: Doctors Without Borders. (Federal Drug Administration approved generic drugs to treat AIDS can be purchased in South Africa for about $300 per year, per person.)

· One day in Iraq could provide one third of the aid needed for earthquake relief for the four million people affected in South Asia. Source: United Nations, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). (Estimated need for first six months is $549 million, as of October 26, 2005.)

–Crystal Patterson