Washington, D.C. – Council for a Livable World today applauded the Senate for passing an Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill that sets a goal of March 2008 for withdrawing most American soldiers from Iraq.
The Supplemental was approved 51-47 with Sens. Hagel (NE) and Smith (OR) the only Republicans voting in favor.
“The Senate has joined the House of Representatives and the majority of the American public in endorsing a timetable for withdrawal,� said John Isaacs, Executive Director of Council for a Livable World. “If President Bush now carries out his veto threat, his desire to continue the war will endanger American troops by delaying their receipt of critical funds.�
With passage of the Supplemental, the total cost for ongoing U.S. operations in Iraq has reached nearly $450 billion. Including the Bush Administration’s $116 billion request for FY2008, the total cost of the war will reach $564 billion.
“In March 2003, the Bush administration estimated that the war in Iraq would cost around $50 billion,� continued Isaacs. “This month, on the fourth anniversary of the war, we have reached nine times that amount.�
Isaacs concluded: “A conservative estimate is that the U.S. will have spent more than $1 trillion dollars before the war in Iraq is over. Costs to U.S. strategic interests, moral authority, and international prestige are incalculable.�
Council for a Livable World, based in Washington, D.C., works tirelessly to reduce the danger of nuclear weapons and increase national security. Founded by nuclear scientist Leo Szilard in 1962, the Council provides Members of Congress with technical information on weapons of mass destruction and operates a Candidate Fund that helps elect candidates who support sensible national security policies.
