Bush’s wars will cost the USA 800 billion dollars

The House of Representatives of the US Congress assigned extra funds to George Bush’s administration to conduct military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan. The USA will thus spend the extra $162 billion on the military contingent. The total amount assigned by the Congress to fund the campaign in Iraq will exceed $600 billion and $200 billion in Afghanistan.

Photo: Bush’s wars will cost the USA 800 billion dollars

It is worthy of note that the Congress refused to assign the funds to the White House not so long ago, in the middle of May. Deputies’ votes split in half with 149 negative against 141 positive votes. In addition, congressmen refused to fund the war in Iraq and demanded the Bush’s administration should withdraw US troops from the war-torn country before December 2009.

The amendment to the law about extra funds for military operations in Iraq says that the withdrawal of the US Armed Forces from the country must begin in 30 days, in the middle of July that is, and finish not later than 18 months after the decree comes into effect.

The draft budget 2009, which George Bush submitted to the Congress in February, stipulated an increase of spending on defense needs. In comparison with the current year, the spending has increased 7.5 percent to $515 billion, which is a record number for the USA. In addition, the budget contains a 10-percent increase to the spending on home security needs. It virtually goes about the 16.5-percent rise of costs of operations outside the USA.

The military budgets of France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Italy represent about 13 percent (US$120 billion) of world military spending. France and the United Kingdom have increased their equipment expenses, not only to act in United States military operations with the same technological level of their ally, but equally to be able to act independently in smaller military campaigns such as Côte d'Ivoire.

Among non-NATO nations, Japan spent US$46.9 billion on military resources in 2003, The People's Republic of China, US$32.8 billion, and Russia, US$13 billion, (5 percent, 4 percent, and 1 percent of the world total, respectively).