Bobby Scott: “Mr. Speaker, the entire Persian Gulf War 12 years ago cost the United States less than $8 billion. The total cost of the…”

“Mr. Speaker, the entire Persian Gulf War 12 years ago cost the United States less than $8 billion. The total cost of the war was over $60 billion, but because allies were participating our share was only 12 percent of the cost. Now we have already spent $79 billion on the present war in Iraq. We are asked to spend $87 billion more for a total of $166 billion so far. To put the $166 billion in perspective, Mr. Speaker, the total appropriation for this fiscal year for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Education and Department of Labor and Department of State was less than $166 billion. On a per capita basis, $166 billion is more for each person in Iraq than the total annual government spending in the United States for each of our American citizens for everything other than Social Security and defense. Although this is a huge expenditure, the administration does not even give lip service to explain how the bill will be paid, no outline of spending cuts or increased taxes.”