http://thehill.com/policy/defense/223317-obama-to-seek-more-money-for-isis-fight
Just yesterday, there are reports stating President Obama is
expected to request additional money from congress in efforts to fight ISIS. There
is no absolute number on the amount being requested but Bloomberg News has
reported that the president will ask for somewhere close to $3.2 billion. The
main purpose for the money is to be able to fully support the men and women
carrying out the actions necessary in order to suppress ISIS. This money is
acting as an amendment to the overseas contingency operation’s (OCO) $58.6
billion request for the 2015 federal budget. In other words, this is the
war-funding account for the Pentagon that has paid off the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan. The approximate $3.2 billion addition to the 2015 budget would
still be a relatively small amount compared to 2014’s budget of $85 billion.
This year’s budget ended on September 30th while the Pentagons 2015
defense budget will be passed sometime in December or early next year when
newly elected members of congress take office.
As mentioned, a large sum of the
money is to be used for the safety of American troops through a sufficient
amount of resources. This includes munitions used in airstrikes and at least
$500 million to train and equip Iraqi and Kurdish forces. Thus far, the
Pentagon had estimated an average of $8.3 million a day heads towards fighting
ISIS. Although this may seem like an accurate estimate, it is nonetheless an
estimate. On October 28th, the pentagon estimated $580 million since
August 8th but the National Priorities Project who tracks federal
spending estimated at the same point, the U.S. has surpassed $1 billion. This is all the statistics we have now
regarding federal spending but at this rate we expect the war could cost
somewhere between $2.4 billion and $22 billion per year. The large range proves
the uncertainty we have as a nation regarding where this war with ISIS will
lead.
I find this article to be very informative of just how uncertain they are in regards to the fight against ISIS. The fact that the U.S may seek funding from anywhere between $2.4-$22 billion per year is very alarming. In my opinion, that is a very large gap in financing, and knowing the U.S government, I'm sure the funding will far exceed that of $22 billion given the improbable end to this conflict.
ReplyDeleteIt's not unexpected that there will be a huge increase in spending and funding-- times of war or unrest almost always result in this kind of reaction from the government. However, it is definitely worrisome that the expected cost will be somewhere between "2.4 and 22 billion." The uncertainty of the amount of money needed, especially when at such a high price, is definitely cause for concern.
ReplyDeleteUnited Staes as a super power will stop at nothing to enforce peace and stop terrorism the best of its ability. Ever since World War I, The United states has made herself clear of a zero tolerance for terrorism. I do not think the budget is that much of a concern because this is something the United States has dedicated itself to and its enforcing peace around the world. I believe The united states is restoring some kind of hope by investing so much in solving this ISIS problem.
ReplyDeleteI don’t blame them for being uncertain in how much they will need to spend. In a war involving terrorist groups, there is so much unpredictability in what all is going to happen that I think it would be impossible not to have a wide range of possible spending. Also in a personal opinion, similar to Indira, if the purpose of the spending is to save innocent lives, I could really care less how much they end up spending.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it comes as much of a surprise to many people that the government is going to need more money to continue the fight against ISIS. What is surprising, however, is the large range in expected spending on the war. I think defense spending is one area that most Americans are willing to increase, as the country as a whole has a very low tolerance for terrorist groups.
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