John Lewis Proposes Legislation to Calculate War Costs

AlterNet
and
 Michael Arria
May 19, 2015

Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) has reintroduced "The Cost of War Act" which would require the Defense Department to calculate how much taxpayers are spending on wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. Under the legislation, the Defense Department and the IRS would determine the costs and they would be posted on the agencies' websites.

Lewis had offered the move as an amendment in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), but it was rejected by the Rules Committee. The $612 billion NDAA passed with a 269-151 vote. Lewis' bill is now pending before the House Armed Services Committee.

House Republicans just unveiled a $579 billion bill to fund the Pentagon, $800 million above President Obama's request. Politico's David Rogers writes that, "Republicans are betting that the president will have to cave, given the increased military challenges facing the US overseas, as seen with the fall of Ramadi in Iraq." 

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