CRS Report: Iraq costs now at $10 billion monthly; Total cost will pass 1/2 trillion in 2008

Above: A Humvee destroyed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad in June.

The following is a report from the non-partisan Congressional Research Service dated June 28, 2007:

With enactment of the FY2007 supplemental on May 25, 2007, Congress has approved a total of about $610 billion for military operations, base security, reconstruction, foreign aid, embassy costs, and veterans’ health care for the three operations initiated since the 9/11 attacks: Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) Afghanistan and other counter terror operations; Operation Noble Eagle (ONE), providing enhanced security at military bases; and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF).

The $611 billion total covers all war-related appropriations from FY2001 through the May 25, 2007, enactment of the FY2007 Supplemental (H.R. 2206/P.L.110-28) including both funds in supplementals and regular appropriations acts for DOD, State Department/AID, and VA Medical costs. For FY2007, funds for Iraq and Afghanistan were appropriated in the FY2007 Supplemental, DOD’s FY2007 Appropriations (H.R. 5631/P.L.109-289), and the Year-Long Continuing Resolution (H.J.Res 20/P.L.110-5)...

For DOD, war appropriations rose steeply in FY2007. DOD received $165.8 billion for war costs in FY2007 — more than 40% more than the previous year and 50% more than OMB estimated last summer. In FY2007, the State Department will receive about $6.3. billion for Iraq and Afghanistan for foreign and diplomatic operations funds, and VA Medical costs for OIF/OEF veterans will be about $1 billion, according to CRS estimates.

For FY2008, the administration has requested $141.7 billion for DOD’s war costs, $4.6 billion for foreign and diplomatic operations, and about $800 million for VA medical costs. If Congress approves the FY2008 war requests, total funding for Iraq and the Global War on Terror would reach about $758 billion, including about $567 billion for Iraq, $157 billion for Afghanistan, $29 billion for enhanced security, and $5 billion unallocated...

For the first half of FY2007, CRS estimates that DOD’s average monthly obligations for contracts and pay is running about $12 billion per month, well above the $8.7 billion in FY2006. For FY2007, obligations are about $10 billion in Iraq, $1.9 billion in Afghanistan, and less than $100 million for enhanced security.

Read the full report at Wired (PDF document)

Related Link:
War Costs Soar by a Third; Total Could Top $1.4 Trillion (Explanatory post at Wired).

Related Link:
Bush signs Democrat-controlled Congress' $95 billion bill to fund the war with no restrictions through September