Notes and Sources
Total costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan allocated by Congress to date – which include funding through the end of the current fiscal year on Sept. 30, 2013 – are $1.48 trillion, with $812.6 billion to Iraq and $664.2 billion to Afghanistan. These figures include both military and non-military spending, such as reconstruction. Spending includes only incremental costs – those additional funds that are expended due to the war. For example, soldiers' regular pay is not included but combat pay is included. Potential future costs, such as future medical care for soldiers and veterans wounded in the war, are not included. These figures also do not include interest payments on the national debt that will result from higher deficits due to war spending.
These numbers are based on an analysis of legislation in which Congress has allocated money for war and research by the Congressional Research Service (latest report) which has access to Department of Defense financial reports.
About the Fiscal Year 2013 Budget Process
Congress failed to enact any of the 12 annual appropriations bills for FY2013 prior to the end of FY2012 on Sept. 30, 2012. Instead, funding was initially provided through a Continuing Resolution (CR) enacted on Sept. 28, 2012, which provided funding through March 27, 2013. A CR allows any part of the government without a specific funding bill – known as an appropriation – to continue operating at its current funding level until a final funding bill is enacted. As a result, for the first six months of FY2013, federal agencies were all being funded at FY2012 funding levels.
Prior to the March 27 deadline both the House and Senate enacted new CRs which funded the government through the end of the fiscal year. The original House version also included two regular appropriations bills – Defense and Military Construction-Veterans Affairs – which the House had enacted earlier in the year.
The Senate version was similar, but in addition to Defense and Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, it also included specific appropriations for Agriculture; Commerce, Justice, Science; and Homeland Security. All other federal programs were funded by the extended CR. The Senate passed its version of the legislation on March 20, and the House moved quickly to adopt the Senate version the following day. President Obama signed the 2013 spending bill into law on March 26.
As a result, NPP’s “Cost of War” calculations for FY2013 draw on the specific appropriations for Defense, Military Construction and Homeland Security included in the CR. To determine the amounts for “Overseas Contingency Operations” (i.e. war costs) funded through the State Department, we drew on the FY2013 data included in the Department of State/Foreign Operations fiscal year 2014 budget request.
|
Name of Law |
Public Law No. |
Date Enacted |
|
PL 107-38 |
09/19/01 |
|
|
FY2002 Dept. of Defense and Emergency Terrorism Response Act |
P.L. 107-117 |
01/10/02 |
|
P.L. 107-206 |
8/2/02 |
|
|
P.L. 107-115 |
01/10/02 |
|
|
P.L. 108-7 |
2/20/03 |
|
|
P.L. 108-11 |
4/16/03 |
|
|
P.L. 107-48 |
10/23/02 |
|
|
P.L. 108-87 |
9/30/03 |
|
|
P.L. 108-106 |
11/6/03 |
|
|
P.L. 108-199 |
1/23/04 |
|
|
P.L. 108-287 |
8/5/04 |
|
|
P.L. 109-13 |
5/11/05 |
|
|
P.L. 108-447 |
12/8/04 |
|
|
P.L. 108-287 |
8/5/04 |
|
|
P.L. 109-148 |
12/30/05 |
|
|
P.L. 109-102 |
11/14/05 |
|
|
P.L. 109-108 |
11/22/05 |
|
|
P.L. 109-54 |
8/2/05 |
|
|
P.L. 109-114 |
11/30/05 |
|
|
P.L. 109-234 |
6/14/06 |
|
|
P.L. 109-289 |
9/29/06 |
|
|
P.L. 110-5 |
2/15/07 |
|
|
FY2007 Supplemental Appropriations Act |
P.L. 110-28 |
5/25/07 |
|
P.L. 110-92 |
9/29/07 |
|
|
P.L. 110-116 |
11/13/07 |
|
|
P.L. 110-161 |
12/26/07 |
|
|
P.L. 110-252 |
6/30/08 |
|
|
FY2009 Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act |
P.L. 110-329 |
09/30/08 |
|
FY2009 Supplemental Appropriations Act |
P.L. 111-32 |
06/24/09 |
|
P.L. 111-83 |
10/28/09 |
|
|
P.L. 111-117 |
12/16/09 |
|
|
P.L. 111-118 |
12/16/09 |
|
|
P.L. 111-212 |
07/29/10 |
|
|
Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2011 |
P.L. 112-10 |
4/15/2011 |
|
N/A |
4/13/2011 |
|
|
P.L.112-74 |
12/17/2011 |
|
|
P.L.113-6 |
3/26/2013 |
|
|
P.L.113-6 |
3/26/2013 |
|
|
P.L.113-6 |
3/26/2013 |
|
|
H.R. 993, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs (Division E) |
P.L.113-6 |
3/26/2013 |
|
N/A |
4/10/2013 |
Sources of Cost of War's "Tradeoffs" Data
City and State Calculations
To obtain local cost breakdowns, we calculated each state's share of taxes paid into federal funds revenues (based on IRS data). This includes individual income taxes, corporate income taxes, excise, gift and estate taxes. Each state's share of taxes was then multiplied by the total amount of the war. The city and county calculations are based on the population and median household income of the city relative to the total state figure.
Program Methodology
Annual Average Cost of Energy for a Household: Information on the average annual expenditures for residential energy for all U.S. households can be found under the Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is based on an HHS report on the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), the LIHEAP 2008 Home Energy Notebook, (Table A-3a).
People or Children Receiving Low-Income Healthcare: The number of people receiving low-income healthcare is based on the total mean Medicaid outlays in 2007, by state, found in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Data Compendium. The number of children receiving low-income healthcare is based on the total mean Medicaid outlays for children in 2007, by state, also found in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Data Compendium.
Elementary School Teachers: Each state's number is based on the average amount of annual pay an elementary school teacher receives, plus 25% for other expenses associated with employment such as benefits. These numbers are for 2008 from the Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, and cover one year of employment.
Fair Market Rent for One Bedroom Apartment: Information on fair market rents comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Rental prices used are based on the most expensive urban one bedroom and are taken from HUD’s data table “Schedule B - FY 2011 Final Fair Market Rents For Existing Housing.” The national average cost for the most expensive urban one bedroom dwelling was calculated by totaling up the cost of the most expensive urban one bedroom from each state and determining the average.
Head Start Slots for Children: Head Start slot costs are calculated by dividing the total federal expenditures in each state by the total number of enrolled students. The data year is 2009 and comes from the Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center of the Administration for Children and Families.
Homes with Renewable Electricity - Solar Photovoltaic: Information on the average kWh usage per household by state, for 2008, can be found at the Energy Information Administration. The cost of solar photovoltaic energy, estimated at 40 cents per kWh, is based on data found in an EIA report, 2016 Levelized Cost of New Generation Resources, from the Annual Energy Outlook 2010.
Homes with Renewable Electricity - Wind Power: Information on the average kWh usage per household by state, for 2008, can be found at the Energy Information Administration. The cost of wind energy, estimated at 15 cents per kWh, is based on data found in an EIA report, 2016 Levelized Cost of New Generation Resources, from the Annual Energy Outlook 2010.
Military Veterans Receiving VA Medical Care: The average cost to provide military veterans with Veterans Affairs (VA) medical care is based on the state's total VA medical care expenditures divided by the state's total number of unique patients based on FY2009 data from the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics.
Groceries for an Individual: Information on the cost of food comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service (ERS). The per capita amount spent on groceries in the United States is from ERS's "Table 13 — Per capita food expenditures."
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers: Each state's number is based on the average amount of annual pay a police and/or sheriff's patrol officer receives, plus 25% for other expenses associated with employment such as benefits. These numbers are for 2008 from the Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, and cover one year of employment.
Scholarships for University Students: The number for each state is based on the cost of tuition and fees for one year at that state's flagship university for the 2009-2010 academic year. Data on tuition and fees are available at the National Center for Education Statistics' College Opportunities On-Line (COOL).
Students receiving Pell Grants of $5550: The maximum Pell Grant award is $5550 for July 1, 2010-June 30, 2011. We used that number for each of the states and for the United States as a whole. Information on the Federal Pell Grant Program can be found at the Office of Postsecondary Education at the U.S. Department of Education.